Cost To State Of Private Hospitals During Covid To Hit €300 Million

The Department of Health has also confirmed no cost-benefit analysis was carried out before the decision was made to bring those hospitals into public use.

The deal has been criticised as the full capacity of the private hospitals wasn't used.

Meanwhile the HSE says many public hospitals aren't capable of providing the safe distancing needed to protect against the spread of coronavirus.

The government won't be renewing the current three-month contract, but the HSE will say it has had 'very substantive benefits'.

But the Irish Hospital Consultants Association will say it isn't working and should be ended without delay.