Health Crisis Hits Private Sector

The economic downturn continues to hit the health sector in Northern Ireland, writes Carla Liébana.

Fifty jobs are under threat at a private hospital in Ballykelly, Co Londonderry.

The North-West Independent Hospital - which opened in 1989 and has 36 beds - provides in-patient and out-patient services as well as cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics and urology.

Now, it is trying to reduce working hours and to restructure some of its departments, as a result of the downturn in work after a drop in referrals from NHS Trusts.

Last month the Belfast Health Trust stated it would no longer refer patients to private clinics as part of the budget cuts.

In fact, five local health trusts face a shortfall in their budgets and will be expressing their concerns to the Stormont Health Committee today (Thursday) about the state of the health service in NI.

DUP MLA, Jim Wells, who is Chairman of the Committee, said he did not believe it "would be a particularly pleasant meeting" because it will be "a distribution of pain".

The committee will also hear from the ambulance service and the health trusts.

Mr Wells said that one of the things he wants to find out from all them is "why it is high-profile front-line services that are being cut rather than administration".

"I would like to see that the savings and cuts are being applied across the service," he expressed.

Patricia McKeown, from the health union Unison, said they would tell politicians it was time for them to 'pull together' to face "probably the worst crisis seen in health and social care here for the past 30 years".

"This situation has been passed down through the system and what is now happening is that it is hitting people - the public, the patients," said McKeown.

Another health union said it would consider taking industrial action over proposed cuts in health provision.

The main health budget must be reduced £700m over three years, meanwhile five of Northern Ireland's six health trust are expected to run up a deficit of almost £76m by the end of this financial year.

This shortfall comes on top of the pressures they are facing to meet government spending targets.

Last night, the Stormont First Minister, Peter Robinson again underlined that cuts are pending: "As we move forward it is clear that cuts in public expenditure will not be a choice but will be an economic inevitability," he told a high level group of bank executives.

NI had weathered the recession but the next challenge would be to weather the reductions in public expenditure that would be associated with recovery, he told the Institute of Bankers annual dinner in Belfast.

See: Executive 'Silo' Will Worsen Cut Backs

(CL/BMcC)