Founding Head of the HSE Prof Brendan Drumm is currently volunteering with aid agency Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in Ethiopia, the second most populous African country at 86.

The Government remains committed to the introduction of an ‘activity-based’ funding model whereby hospitals are paid for the actual work they do, in terms of case load and quality outcomes, the Minister for Health has insisted.

The Rural Practice Allowance has not been abolished, Minister of State Kathleen Lynch has insisted, adding that since 2009 allowances under the GMS capitation agreement have merely been reduced from €20,712.

Dara Gantly picks up on some of the themes at this year’s Irish Healthcare Awards.

The cycle of cuts in health has come to an end, the Minister for Health has declared.

The €25 million funding provided in Budget 2015 will be targeted at hospital and community services that can demonstrate initiatives to address the specific needs of delayed discharge patients most positively and, therefore, reduce time lines for admissions from emergency departments and waiting lists, the Minister for Health has revealed.

Private hospitals could not agree on introduction of an E-Claims system, it has emerged.

The RCPI is calling for additional educational supports and a cultural shift to facilitate the implementation of flexible working arrangements throughout a doctor’s career and make part-time working more acceptable.

Dr Chris Watson, a researcher in the Conway Institute at UCD, was awarded the Brian Maurer Young Investigator Award at the recent Irish Cardiac Society Annual Scientific Meeting held in Athlone.

An international panel of experts is to review the HRB’s business plan in the coming weeks, with the findings set to inform the Board’s next strategic plan.