A total of €27.4 billion in funding will go to healthcare under Budget 2026, it has been announced.
The record allocation represents a €1.5 billion or 6.2 per cent increase on 2025 funding.
The Budget provides for 3,300 additional HSE staff to be hired across the health service.
It includes commitments to increase acute hospital capacity by at least 220 beds and expand diagnostic services nationwide.
In addition, the Government will provide funding for at least 280 community beds, with continued investment in the community nursing units refurbishment programme and efforts to reduce community waiting lists.
The Budget also commits to an increase in the number of home support hours by 1.7 million hours.
A statement from the Department of Health said funding will be released to address regional inequity in healthcare access and reducing waiting times.
This will be achieved through delivery of services on a 5/7 basis, reduced waiting times across all major service areas, expansion of GP out-of-hours services and home support hours and an additional €217 million investment in Primary Care Reimbursement Service medicines, including €30 million in new medicines.
“This Budget emphasises our commitment to maximising the value of every euro invested in health to enhance all areas of service provision,” according to the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
“There is a strong focus on expanding community services, with additional staff supporting increased provision of older persons services and mental health supports in line with our commitment to deliver high-quality care as close to home as possible and as a better, more affordable means than in acute hospitals.”
However, the IMO was critical of next year’s allocation for healthcare, describing the funding increase as inadequate given the scale of existing capacity and workforce deficits.
In a statement, the Organisation said “given persistent and dangerous levels of overcrowding in our emergency departments and long waiting lists for care, it is simply not credible to suggest that 220 new acute beds will be enough”.
The IMO also noted no additional investment has been announced for general practice “despite the evidence that structured care for patients in the GP setting will reduce presentations and admission to hospitals”.
Dr Anne Dee, President of the IMO, said: “Budget 2026 has unfortunately failed to deliver the funding and planning needed to cater for a growing and ageing population. Any commentary around record levels of funding for the health service ignores our demographic reality, as well as the cost of new medical and therapeutic interventions.”
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