Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I have so many points I would like to address but I do not think I will have time. There are huge opportunities here with e-health and that is why I would like to see it accelerate as much as possible. There are huge opportunities in supporting ageing in place. Ongoing health monitoring, which would lead us to earlier and better interventions in people's health, could be so important. There is a huge opportunity in providing healthcare in hard-to-reach areas such as the islands, where it is very difficult to access healthcare, when put together with e-prescribing.

However, we need a strategy in place, because there are also issues around the safeguarding of privacy, if we move the more integrated model in order that people have more rights and control over their records. I have worries about the erosion of working conditions. We see a movement towards a platform working model beginning to grow up in the caring economy. That worries me, from a workers' rights perspective. However, we should move forward with this, as quickly as we possibly can, grasp those opportunities and face up to the challenges.

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