Sláintecare criticised in motion debate 

Irish Medical Organisation, Annual General Meeting, The Europe Hotel and Resort, Killarney, Co Kerry, 24-26 April 2025

Critical views on Sláintecare were expressed during the first general motions session at the IMO AGM.

The discussion was in relation to a motion proposed by the Organisation’s NCHD committee, which called on the Government to confirm its plans for the continued development and roll-out of the health policy.

Chair of the committee Dr Rachel McNamara, who put forward the motion, pointed out that the period covered by Sláintecare, which was launched in 2017, will soon come to an end.

Speaking from the floor, Meath-based GP Dr Maitiú Ó Faoláin objected to the wording of the motion, which he said implied that the IMO supported Sláintecare.

“The IMO has never supported Sláintecare,” Dr Ó Faoláin said.

Dr John Duddy, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, said that Sláintecare “has actually weakened our public health system and will continue to do so if it continues to develop”.

Dr Duddy argued that income lost through the removal of private activity in public hospitals is not being adequately replaced. He said this was a reason the Organisation did not support the policy.

Dr Anthony O’Connor, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, supported the motion. However, he added the wording suggested that the implementation of Sláintecare had commenced, which is “something I see very little evidence of”.

“The biggest shift we’ve seen, just being factual about it, over the last seven to eight years, is the increase, at warp speed, of outsourcing,” Dr O’Connor said.

He referenced how the budget of the National Treatment Purchase Fund is now over €230 million.

Dr O’Connor said this budget was analogous to that of a model 3 hospital.

“I think we really need to question the value for money we are getting there.”

He stated that outsourcing to the private sector was not a part of the original Sláintecare document.

The new IMO President Dr Anne Dee also questioned the implementation of the policy.

However, she said the original aims of Sláintecare, such as multi-annual funding and taking “the politics out of healthcare”, are worth pursuing.

An amended version of the motion was passed, requesting the Government to “clarify” its plans for Sláintecare.