Dr. Adeelia Goffe:

Whether it is a two-tier system is debatable. It is certainly more multi-tiered at the moment, as the Deputy stated. Sláintecare, when fully implemented, will allow most of those tiers to disappear. There will still be some of the fragmentation within the different regional areas and CHOs in terms of how they are regulated and function. Some of it is historical. They work quite well for the communities they serve but, looking at it on a national level, people in different areas are not necessarily receiving the same type of care. Once Sláintecare is implemented and there is an overarching access to primary care, it will be far easier to see where the holes are and where more efficient decisions can be made. Without doubt, there are challenges relating to lack of access to IT services, for example, such as general practitioners, GPs, being unable to transfer documents to each other or to hospitals. That should be sorted out as soon as possible in order to increase access and decrease waiting times. The Deputy is correct. It is far more than just a matter of public and private systems.