I was delighted to meet with Dr. James Reilly TD recently and hear his vision for Irish Health services. We in Fine Gael understand that this is a hugely complex issue and don’t pretend to have all the answers. But what we are doing is very clearly setting out our plan for Health Services in Ireland and opening up the debate around the country.

Our health system is broken. For the last ten years the Government has thrown money at every problem, without making any fundamental change to the way the health system works. Even in the midst of economic crisis, it still refuses to make significant reform. Billions are wasted, waiting lists increase, and the sick and infirm pay the price for the Government’s incompetence.

Ireland is spending close to the EU average on health, on a per capita basis, but Irish people are receiving a level of service well below the EU average. Ireland’s health service is ranked 15th in Europe for quality and 24th in terms of value for money.

Fine Gael’s FairCare proposals, by contrast, represent the most fundamental reform of the health system since the formation of the State. We will abolish long-term waits on trolleys in A&E, slash waiting lists in hospitals, and eliminate the unfair and inefficient public/private divide by introducing Universal Health Insurance (UHI). We will also reform the Primary Care system to ensure that more patients are treated safely outside hospitals by their GPs.

I would welcome any feedback that you might  have on this proposal. To download Fine Gael’s full FairCare plan please click here.