The Health Service Executive in the northeast is to cut spending by nearly €10 million in an attempt to stay within budget.
According to a confidential internal report seen by RTÉ News, spending across all acute hospitals in the region will be hit which could significantly impact on patient care.
As part of the measures, it is proposed to put on hold funding for a second oncologist in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda to save €600,000.
It is also proposed to reduce agency nurses and to only replace equipment that is absolutely necessary.
This is despite the fact that there are already serious workload issues for the current service and a stark warning that 'patient safety could be compromised if the current arrangements are not further developed'.
A spokesperson for the HSE said management was examining options to assist them to stay within budget without impacting on existing services.
