Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not to be argumentative but simply to try to understand how we are going to reach a situation whereby the individual health identifier will be of greatest service across the board. How do we intend to disseminate the information in respect of the individual's identifier? We will be holding it on a register. Presumably, the general practitioner network will need to know although I am unsure about other areas like hospital access and other health care providers. How do we undertake to disseminate the information? The individual health identifier will not only apply to those who are medical card holders, for example. What about citizens outside the medical card register that is readily to hand? On what basis would the Minister proceed to allocate individual numbers? How will the Minister feed it into the system, because the system must have our respective numbers if it is to serve the purpose that the Bill intends?

I am at a loss in my own simple way to try to understand the out-working of this. I had thought just as people have their medical card number on a little card or their personal public service number if they are social protection recipients that we would each have some personal advice of our respective numbers. Given the information that has been shared with me, I am unable to understand at this point how we are going to get the optimum return from this legislation and its intent without the widest possible knowledge of the IHIs. I am willing to accept and I fully understand the cost factor and the challenge of undertaking the dissemination of this information. However, surely my proposal is the only way we can guarantee the most successful return from the entire exercise.