A freedom of information request shows €2.3m is being spent in the Midlands alone.
€2.3m has been spent outsourcing lab work from Midlands hospitals to private companies in the last year.
The Irish Indpendent is reporting the HSE spent a total of €53m sending things like blood tests and diagnostics to commercial laboratories due to significant demand on the public health system.
The Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore is spending the most in the region at €927,665, followed by Portlaoise at €707,626, and Mullingar at just under €697,118.
Elsewhere, €297,901 was spent by Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, while Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda topped the list with a €7,976,355 spend.
The Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice says the outsroucing shows the government has "lost focus".
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