Business Post's View

Editorial: Public cannot be kept in the dark about health service’s shortcomings

The latest recordings of meetings between the HSE and departmental officials reveal a system which appears to view the idea of transparency with contempt

Paul Reid, outgoing chief executive of the HSE: Department of Health officials were exasperated at how the agency uses public money. Picture: Photocall Ireland

It has long been the narrative in Irish life that this country’s health system is one of financial waste and an inefficient use of resources, where taxpayers’ money disappears while long-running issues remain unsolved.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the health system’s response was rightly praised as being decisive. But since the worst of the coronavirus has passed, a number of issues have emerged which show that the financial dysfunction in the health system did not ...