Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. This is one of the many examples of where we are a lot better than the narrative would have us believe. The public and political narrative around healthcare, for all the reasons we understand, is all around what is not working. We would be forgiven sometimes for believing we have a terrible healthcare system that does not work for anybody. In fact, notwithstanding the issues of access, which are hugely challenging for patients, the quality of the clinical care provided is second to none. We have the highest life expectancy now in Europe and we do very well in perinatal mortality rates, infant mortality rates and increases in survivorship rates. One of the areas, however, where we really are laggards is in e-health. I refer not just to systems within the HSE where one's GP, the hospital doctor and the practice nurse can all see what is going on but, as the Cathaoirleach and Deputy Durkan referred to, the ability of citizens to be able to access their health information, be that eligibility information or their own health information. We are laggards in this area.

We are doing major work in respect of putting together a proper e-health strategy and focusing on not just the big complicated stuff that takes many years to put in place, such as the major integrated systems, but also on shorter-term, basic improvements for patients to allow them to see their own basic information. The committee will be aware that yesterday, I got agreement to get the proposed health information Bill fully drafted. We will then send that proposed legislation to this committee as soon as possible for pre-legislative scrutiny. We are not waiting for that proposed Bill. In the meantime, and in parallel, we are going to be funding and building the system. It is certainly, though, an area where we are behind. It is one we are taking seriously and there is a great deal of work to be done. In time, patients will see real improvements in exactly some of those areas referred to.