More than 800 jobs will be created in the Southern Health Board area during the coming year, the chief executive, Mr Sean Hurley, announced yesterday.
Outlining the SHB's service plan for the Cork and Kerry region in 2001, Mr Hurley said the board would spend £548 million on the provision of services for the next 12 months.
The number of employees, including home helps, in the two counties would rise to 14,000, an increase of more than 800. With an annual wage bill of £327 million, this made the Southern Health Board the largest employer in Munster, Mr Hurley added.
The SHB had broken even for the eighth year in succession last year and reduced waiting lists by 32 per cent, Mr Hurley told yesterday's meeting of the board in Cork. It had also employed an extra 19 permanent consultants, he added.