ABSTRACT
Health expenditure in Ireland is heavily influenced by Government budgetary considerations. During the 1970s, health spending as a percentage of gross domestic product increased rapidly; however, as the economy went through a difficult period in the 1980s this trend was reversed. In the 1980s, to restrain the growth in health spending, various cost containment strategies were adopted. The mixed financing arrangements in place in the Irish health care system has resulted in a mixture of publicly and privately delivered health services. Exchequer spending on health services is determined by the Department of Health and the Department of Finance. During the 1980s the reduction in public expenditure and concern over the financing and delivery of health care resulted in the establishment of the Commission on Health Funding. Health Board hospitals, as their title indicates, are managed by the country's regional health boards, as established in 1970 by the Department of Health.
