A Mayo deputy has spoken out against the decision of the HSE to centralise the Primary Care Schemes to Dublin with immediate effect. Deputy Michael Ring has criticised the move which will take the decision making process away from the local offices and transfer it to a head office in Dublin.
The Fine Gael Spokesperson on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has said that it is an appalling decision by HSE. “This is a complete contradiction of Government policy, on the one hand we have had the Government saying that they want to regionalise services by decentralisation. Now we see the HSE taking services away from local areas.”
Dep Ring continued: “This is a retrograde step by the Health Service Executive. I am deeply concerned for the people who depend on these services and how this will affect them after the relocation.”
Schemes that will now be dealt with by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service include the Mobility Allowance, the Blind Welfare Allowance, the Drugs Repayment Scheme, and the Maternity Cash grants.
The Westport deputy warned: “This centralisation will cause hardship for those people who use these schemes if decision making is slowed down and we lose the compassion and expertise of local HSE staff who have been administering these services for a long time.”
