PAC vent their anger at HSE Covid chiefs....

€129million splurged on 3,500 ventilators but only 350 needed

- FERGHAL BLANEY

HSE chiefs have been slammed for wasting taxpayers' money by ordering 10 times more ventilators than were clinically needed during the Covid pandemic.

The Public Accounts Committee conducted a review into the spending which saw 3,500 of the expensive pieces of medical equipment ordered at a cost of €129million.

This is 10 times what would have been needed as part of "surge capacity planning" and almost twice the 1,900 that were officially sanctioned by Department of Health bosses.

And the PAC has found that almost €7million of this was spent on ventilators that were never even needed.

The Comptroller and Auditor General spending watchdog carries out the forensic accounting work for the PAC.