Buttimer congratulates HSE Director General designate on his appointment

Fine Gael Cork South Central Deputy and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, Jerry Buttimer, has welcomed the appointment of Tony O’Brien as the new Director General designate for the Health Service Executive, wishing him the very best of luck in his new role.

“Tony O’Brien comes to this role at a time of great change within the Health Service Executive. The new restructuring model will see ultimate responsibility falling to Mr. O’Brien as the new Director General, with six new Directorates taking direct charge for budgets and services in specific areas. These changes are by no means insignificant and will demand a great deal of energy and vision, which I believe Mr. O’Brien possesses.

“As the Chief Operating Officer of the Special Delivery Unit (SDU) for the past year, Mr. O’Brien’s record speaks for itself. Only last week we learned that almost 10,000 fewer people waited on trolleys in our hospitals in the first seven months of the year, compared to the same time last year, as a result of the work carried out by the SDU. The Unit has also made a considerable impact on waiting lists with the number of people waiting more than 12 months for in-patient or day case treatment being reduced from 3,400 last September when the Unit was first set up, to a little over 100 today.

“Mr.O’Brien also brings with him considerable experience in the field of oncology, having acted as the Chief Advisor to the HSE on the implementation of the National Cancer Control Strategy, among other positions.

“The task ahead in putting an end to our two-tier health service and moving to Universal Health Insurance, ensuring that people are treated based on medical need and not in respect of the money in their back pocket, is no small one. The health service faces significant financial challenges ahead and, quite simply, it must find the most effective ways of doing more with less. I believe that these challenges will be met head on and I sincerely wish Tony O’Brien the best of luck in his future endeavours. I look forward to working alongside him for the betterment of our health service into the future, for all our people.”