Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Charges should be abolished, full stop. The amount of bureaucracy that goes into this, between paying debt collectors and the administrative work involved in inpatient fees, is not efficient. This is in the context of the cost-of-living crisis many families are going through. This Bill is welcome so people will have to access healthcare and so forth. It is welcome that this is happening but there is a long way to go regarding stealth costs in our health system. The aim of Sláintecare is to have a universal healthcare system so that when people need access to healthcare, there is no financial penalty to pay. That is a good thing but there is still a long way to go to complete the policy of Sláintecare.

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