Drumm bonus 'outrageous'

Fine Gael has said the €70,000 bonus the HSE has agreed to pay its CEO, Prof Brendan Drumm, is unjustifiable at a time when the health budget is being slashed, beds are being closed and the worst symptoms of the health sdervice are getting even worse.

The party's health spokesman Dr James Reilly has pointed out that the bonus is twice the current average industrial wage.

He said a €70,000 bonus, on top of a €320,000 salary for the head of our broken health service is outrageous at a time when 300 patients were lying on trolleys around the country yesterday.

Dr Reilly pointed out that in addition, 9,000 operations were cancelled in the first six months of this year and there has been a 70% increase in delayed discharge numbers.

"It is impossible that this level of performance could be deemed worthy of a bonus like this," Dr Reilly said.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) has stressed that in light of the bonus given to Prof Drumm, it will now be insisting that the HSE fulfils all its contractual obligations to its staff with regard to pay and other conditions of employment.

The INO pointed out that the "same HSE" which gave Prof Drumm the bonus has repeatedly sought to reduce the premium pay and allowances currently contained within the contracts applicable to nurses, midwives and other frontline staff who work on a 24/7 basis.

The INO also highlighted that the reported bonus of €70,000 would more than allow for the full employment of two newly qualified staff nurses.

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[Posted: Wed 14/10/2009]