Health Minister Michael McGimpsey will present his plans to deal with upcoming cuts to his budget later.

On Monday, it was announced Northern Ireland will have to find £128m of savings as part of wider plans to address the UK's national debt.

Out of all the Stormont departments, health receives the biggest amount of funding.

As a result it is expected it will have to find the biggest savings.

Mr McGimpsey will be presenting his plans to the health committee at the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday morning.

It is not yet known where the minister will make the cuts and he has the option of deferring them until next year.

BBC NI health correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly said the announcement would be "grim" with fears over job losses and speculation that around 2.5% of the workforce could be affected.

In attempts to save money, it is expected that Mr McGimpsey will announce further ward closures rather than hospitals closing and that there will be a radical freeze on any new posts.

'Speaks volumes'
 
The capital budget is expected to take the biggest hit with planned builings like the new women's and children's hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast being delayed for the forseeable future.

Our correspondent said the timing of the retirement of Belfast Trust chief executive William McKee "speaks volumes".

"He was due to retire in the autumn but a colleague and friend has told the BBC that the move was totally unexpected but an indication that the savings being asked of the health trusts were virtually impossible to achieve," she said.

The finance minister Sammy Wilson appeared to quash speculation that the executive could follow the Westminster government's example by ringfencing health spending.

He said that because health accounts for about 50% of all executive spending, to protect it from cuts would place an "impossible burden" on other departments.

He added that he believed the health minister Mr McGimpsey could save money without hitting frontline services by curtailing bonuses for consultants and using more generic drugs.