Hospital fuel budgets hit as heating oil cost rockets By RALPH RIEGEL in Cork

HEALTH BOARDS face a financial crisis because of a disastrous 25pc shortfall in budgets for hospital heating fuel, caused by the global oil price spiral.

Health Minister Micheal Martin has been asked to concede emergency resources to the health boards or face hospitals having to dip into a B#25m ``winter fund'' intended to avert the hospital queues and treatment delays witnessed over Christmas 1999.

A special report has now been submitted to the Department of Health outlining the financial problems facing all major health boards because of the 30pc-plus hike in fuel prices over the past 12 months.

The crisis erupted just three weeks after one local authority, Cork Corporation, confirmed a four-hour daily heating limit in major flat complexes because of the fuel prices.

Mr Martin is coming under severe pressure to provide extra funding for health boards to ensure that cash is not diverted from essential medical services to cope with soaring fuel bills.

The Department is already examining the fuel crisis outlined in their six-monthly financial report with some officials estimating the fuel cost overruns at B#10m.

The Southern Health Board (SHB) has already confirmed that the largest hospital outside Dublin - Cork University Hospital - is facing a 25pc fuel cost hike directly because of the global oil situation.

Worst hit have been health boards which rely totally on oil-fuelled heating systems, such as the SHB, the Mid-Western Health Board and the Western Health Board.

Now, with oil prices likely to rise further due to the escalating Middle Eastern conflict in Israel, the Opposition is demanding immediate assurances from Minister Martin that health boards will receive special funding to cope with the crisis.

Cork TD Simon Coveney (FG) warned that it was obvious that health boards should be compensated for the impact of higher fuel costs.

``The last thing we want to see with the onset of winter is that health boards start using money intended for acute medical services simply to pay their heating bills,'' he warned.

``I'm confident that the last thing the Department themselves want to see is health boards being forced to rob Peter to pay Paul in terms of healthcare costs,'' he added.

The demand came after fears that many boards may be forced to dip into a special B#25m ``winter fund'' aimed at avoiding a repeat of last year's controversial waiting list and overcrowding problems at major acute hospitals.

Mr Martin has already confirmed the multi-million allocation for acute hospital support over the busy winter months.

Most of the cash will be directed towards Accident and Emergency Units in acute hospitals, which recorded the worst hospital bed and treatment waiting list problems last winter.

http://www.independent.ie/2000/305/d09a.shtml

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 01, 2000