Four private clinics operating out of Naas General Hospital 

IT has been revealed that a number of private out-of-hours clinics are running from Naas General Hospital – according to a reply to a parliamentary inquiry from Peadar Tóibín TD.

HSE Dublin and Midlands confirmed that four private clinics operate from the public hospital by three consultants at the hospital, which starts at 5pm – out of public hours.

It said: "Management of Naas General Hospital can confirm that a number of consultants utilise designated rooms at our facility outside of standard operating hours.” “This practice stems from provisions included in some existing consultant contracts, which permitted the use of public facilities as part of their working arrangements.” However, the HSE ensured that this contractual arrangement in in the process of being “phased out” as it is no longer included in new consultant contracts.

In conclusion, it stated: “The use of these rooms out of core hours presently plays a role in supporting the broader healthcare system, ensuring that essential medical services remain accessible and well-supported for the people of Kildare and West-Wicklow.” This practice has been a matter of public debate since the numbers were revealed.

Some argue that private practice within public hospitals has a negative impact in the way it diverts public resources from long waiting lists, and for how it blurs the line between public and private – with fears that overtime it might lead to the privatisation of our healthcare system.

Tóibín spoke at the Dáil on this issue and said: “Two months ago, I told that the Dáil about how consultants were creating private firms to read scans and were using public waiting lists to funnel work through rostering to their own private companies.” “There are over 300 private clinics operating in public hospitals at the moment. This needs to be examined properly”.

“On one hand we are seeing private patients being treated in private clinics operating in public hospitals with the use of public equipment. On the other hand, we have a situation where 300,000 public patients have been treated in private hospitals since 2017 at a cost to the taxpayer, according to further data supplied to Aontú. The annual cost of this treatment is now €100 Million”.

“What we have here is either a massive inability to deliver services through the public system, or else the slow privatisation of our health service. The HSE have proven that they cannot be trusted with managing tax-payer money. The decisions they are making do not add up, economically.”