A new plan aims to “forge the way towards accessible, affordable, high-quality, healthcare”, according to the Government.
The document, Sláintecare 2025+, was published today.
Critical views on Sláintecare were expressed the recent IMO AGM in Co Kerry. Doctors passed a motion calling on the Government to “clarify” its plans for Sláintecare. During the debate IMO President Dr Anne Dee questioned the implementation of the policy, however, she said the original aims of Sláintecare, such as multi-annual funding, are worth pursuing.
Today, the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill described the Government’s commitment to health reform as “unwavering” and that the new document Sláintecare 2025+ provides a path to universal healthcare.
“The full implementation of Sláintecare remains one of the most significant reform programmes ever implemented by the State,” said the Minister.
She added that the success of this new action plan will be demonstrated by “waiting times continuing to fall, the number of people on trolleys continuing to fall [and] the cost of healthcare for families decreasing.”
The Minister today also published the Sláintecare Implementation Progress Report 2024.
As already reported in the Medical Independent last month, this new report shows a reduction in the cumulative daily 8am trolley count over 2024, with numbers down 11 per cent compared to 2023, despite an 8 per cent increase in the number of patients presenting to emergency departments. The volume of weekend discharges (Friday – Sunday) from acute hospital beds increased by 15 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, while total discharges increased by approximately 12 per cent.
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