A local TD is urging the HSE West to take swift action against the 70 hospital consultants - some of whom work at Galway University Hospitals - who were found to be in breach of their contractual agreements.
East Galway Labour TD Colm Keaveney wants the health authority to ensure these “highly paid” doctors pay back the money they owe.
“Three years ago, the consultants in question agreed to higher salaries of up to €183,500, on the condition that they limited the numbers of private patients that they treated to 20 to 30 per cent of their workload. This was to reduce the numbers on public waiting lists.
“It has now emerged however that while they took the extra money, they did not limit the number of private patients they treated. In fact, private patients were found to equate to an excess of 40 per cent of the consultants’ workload, far above the 20 to 30 per cent allowed under their contracts.
“Under the new contracts that they signed in 2008 they agreed to pay any private fees in excess of the allowed quota to a research and development fund in whatever hospital they were located in. Not a single penny has been paid into this fund to date.”
Deputy Keaveney says some of these consultants are earning €400,000 a year. He insists it is “completely unacceptable” that they would agree to take this extra money yet not fulfil their public obligations.
“The HSE has given the consultants a deadline of September 15 to pay back 20 per cent of the monies owed as an initial step, however so far no money has been received. The HSE must take swift action to ensure that the money is repaid and that the consultants increase the number of public patients they treat as per their 2008 contracts.”
