Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions that either Mr. Breslin or Mr. O'Brien might address. One concerns the funding mechanisms for primary care centres as I understand that there are several different mechanisms to bring these centres into being. Could the witnesses address how these mechanisms function and which is the most successful or commonly used to bring a primary care centre to completion?

My second question concerns private care in public hospitals. We had a discussion about how patients have the right to decide whether or not to trigger their private health insurance upon arriving in a public hospital. I would also like to hear the witnesses' views on the Sláintecare report, which proposes that there should be a separation of private care from public hospitals. How do they see this proposal panning out? This feeds into the issue of elective-only hospitals, another proposal in the Sláintecare report, which could serve to take the pressure off acute hospitals trying to supply both acute and elective services with the former encroaching on the elective beds.