Professor Frances Ruane, Director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) delivered the 21st Leonard Abrahamson Memorial Lecture entitled 'Resource Allocation, Financing and Sustainability of the Irish Health Sector', to leading consultants from RCSI and the Rotunda Hospital on Friday, 17 September 2010 in the Rotunda Hospital.

Professor Ruane’s lecture addressed health care resource allocation and how it could be improved to support better the aims of the health reform programme and deliver better and fairer health care provision for the nation.

Speaking at the lecture, Professor Ruane, Director, ESRI, said: "The quality of Ireland's healthcare system can be improved if we systematically reallocate our resources to support the new models of clinical care being rolled out at present."

The lecture is held as part of RCSI’s annual Academic Meeting. Presentations were also given by RCSI lecturers and staff of the Rotunda Hospital including Dr Sam Coulter-Smith, Master of the Rotunda; Dr Fionnuala Breathnach, Obstetrician/Gynaecologist; Dr Bridgette Byrne, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Dr Paul Byrne, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Dr Mike Geary, Obstetrician/Gynaecologist. This year the meeting took place in the Rotunda Hospital, one of RCSI’s principal teaching hospitals.

Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI, said: “The Rotunda Hospital is committed to excellence in health and wellbeing for women and infants by attaining the highest standards in treatment, education and research which fully supports the training of RCSI’s medical students. RCSI greatly values our educational partnership with the Rotunda Hospital and the clinicians whose extensive contribution towards the delivery of our teaching programme is pivotal to its continued success.”