Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I referred to Denmark's and Hungary's e-health systems rather than their mortality rates.

The Tánaiste referenced PPS numbers. We have up to 20% more PPS numbers than population, which behoves us to come up with a new identifier number to manage our systems.

As the Tánaiste is well aware, there have been issues for years in terms of hospital inpatient data, the hospital inpatient enquiry, HIPE, system. For years, University Hospital Waterford suffered from the under-reporting of cardiac activity in terms of the national HIPE system. I ask that as part of this exercise we seriously consider integrating technologies and communications systems to provide a better response in our hospitals and primary care settings and for our patients. As the Tánaiste said, we will have spent a considerable amount of money and we must have something at the end of this. I hope the Government will deliver initiatives on new health ICT systems shortly.

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