The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, insists that he has secured a ‘substantial increase' in next year's health budget, however doctors' and nurses' organisations believe the claim is ‘nonsense'.

According to Minister Varadkar, the Department of Health will have €13.175 billion for current expenditure next year, which is €880 million more than this year. It will also have €414 million for capital expenditure next year, which is €36 million more than this year.

The Minister admitted that resources have had to be ‘targeted quite carefully', but will include an extension of free GP care to children under 12, extra ambulance service staff, funding for the Maternity Strategy, the expansion of child speech and language therapy within primary care and increased funding for mental health services.

"Last year we secured the first increase in the health budget in seven years. This year represents a further increase, bringing health spending above 13 billion for the first time since the economic crash. This will allow us to maintain the existing level of service, provide for the increase in demand that arises from a growing and ageing population, and also to make a few key improvements which we will set out in the HSE service plan for 2016," the Minister said.

However, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents doctors, said that the idea of a big increase in the health budget is ‘nonsense'.

"Unfortunately the idea of a significant increase in the health budget is a nonsense and the proposed spending will hardly be sufficient to maintain services at current levels, not to mind increase them to provide patients with the type of services they need and deserve," commented IMO president, Dr Ray Walley.

He noted that spending in recent years has been well in excess of the proposed figure of €13.175 billion and once supplementary budgets have been taken into account, and reports of a €600 million budget overrun in health this year, ‘it is clear that 2015 will be no different'.

"Accordingly, adherence to the health budget announced today would require a reduction in the level of services being provided," he said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) also believes that the figure of €13.175 billion ‘is not sufficient' to meet the demands being placed on the health service. It described the increase in spending as ‘marginal' and insisted it will not allow the health system to address the current overcrowding problems in Emergency Departments (EDs) or to open and staff additional hospital beds.

"The INMO recognises that the Government still faces financial challenges as the economic recovery continues. However, the health allocation for 2016 needed to be significantly greater if we are to address the current severe challenges facing our health system. In particular, it does not seem to provide for additional frontline staff needed to provide quality assured care," commented INMO general secretary, Liam Doran.

Meanwhile, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) also expressed concern that the announced increase would not be sufficient to meet increasing demand.

IHCA president, Dr Gerard Crotty, said that there is a risk of a ‘serious shortfall when account is taken of the scale of increased demand due to our ageing population, free GP care schemes and inflation'.

"It is glaringly obvious that our acute hospitals have an inadequate number of ward and ICU beds and insufficient diagnostic, theatre, staffing and other resources to treat patients without delays. It is critically important that these capacity limitations are addressed to ensure the delivery of safe high quality care to the growing number of patients presenting in acute hospitals," Dr Crotty added.