Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree that investing money in the healthcare system has a positive return on investment. I know the Ministers for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Health are carefully reading the words of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council on that. To give an example of the words following that, the Department of Heath agreed to regrade public health doctors to consultant level so that this service would become consultant-led. Public health doctors sought that for a long time. That decision was taken partly in response to the experience during the pandemic, which showed that the only way we could deal with a large health crisis was through preventative healthcare. Investment in healthcare, particularly in prevention and early and primary healthcare, provide a good return. It would be wrong to say there has not been additional investment. Investment has increased by an average of 9% per year. The €1.14 billion provided in this year’s budget for next year and 23,000 extra staff cannot be ignored.

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