Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the reasons why I made the complaint at the outset. I asked specific questions and the Minister of State has a script which does not deal with any of the questions that I asked. We are unfortunately talking at cross-purposes. There is no commitment with regard to the threatened cuts of €40 million or the unwinding of FEMPI. The Government and HSE have pointed out many times that there needs to be investment in primary care to deliver lower costs. Sláintecare talks about 70% of healthcare being delivered in the local community without a need to go to an acute hospital. The Government is only investing about 4.5% of its current health budget in primary care. If the Government seeks to pivot the healthcare system away from overdependence on the acute system, would the Minister of State not agree with Aontú that at least 10% of the health budget should be invested in primary care and communities?

GPs are in a great space to do that. They should be at the heart of a responsive, proactive, cost-effective healthcare system and should be incentivised to offer a wider range of services, either in a direct fashion or as part of an integrated group practice. In order to do that, we need pharmacists to take patients out of GP surgeries. Pharmacists must be given a greater role in providing services in the healthcare system. They can, for example, carry out blood pressure tests, blood readings and many other practical services for patients. We are asking for a broad negotiation and a redesign of the pathways between doctors, pharmacists, and hospital services in primary healthcare. We need to make sure FEMPI is unwound, that there are no threats of any cuts, and that further money is given to primary healthcare provision as a proportion of the total healthcare budget.

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