Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy McGreehan for raising this important issue.

Ireland's healthcare system is changing with the introduction and implementation of Sláintecare, the first cross-party plan for major health reform in Ireland which was introduced in 2017. The Sláintecare vision is to provide universal, accessible, affordable, person-centred, safe and high-quality health and social care for all the people of Ireland. As the Deputy said, it should be based on need, not on the ability to pay.

The Path to Universal Healthcare: Sláintecare and Programme for Government 2025+ was published in May 2025. It includes three high-level priority areas, which are: improving access, improving service quality and delivering capacity. Good progress has been made to date in terms of access. However, the latest hospital waiting list figures, for August 2025, show that important progress has also been made under the waiting list action plan approach which was implemented in late 2021. The number of patients on waiting lists has been reduced, as has the length of time they are waiting. Since September 2021, there has been a 56% reduction in the number of patients waiting over 12 months. In the same period, the total weighted average waiting time for patients on waiting lists has reduced by approximately 44%. We are seeing continued progress in terms of long waiters and the most recent figures indicate there has been a reduction of 7% in the number of patients waiting over 18 months since this time last year.

A total of 66% of consultants have now signed the public-only consultant contract, made up of 943 new entrants and 2,147 change of contracts. This is a key reform aimed at creating a universal, single-tier healthcare by removing private practice from our public hospitals. We have also seen an 8% reduction in the cumulative daily 8 a.m. trolley count for January to August 2025. There were almost 5,700 fewer patients waiting when compared with 2024. This is despite an increase in emergency department attendance of over 10,000, or 7%.

Some 2.53 million people in Ireland, or 46% of the population, currently have private health insurance. Most consumers have private health insurance plans which provide substantial cover in private hospitals, but this cover is mainly provided for semi-private accommodation. Some 8% of consumers have plans which provide cover in mainly public hospitals and these are typically less expensive. Private health insurance is voluntary and there are many reasons that people take out private health insurance. The Government continues to support those who choose to take out private health insurance through tax relief and community rating. This spreads the risk across the system and allows more affordable access for older and sicker people.

The Deputy made reference to specific areas around early access, pilot medication programmes and ensuring the removal of barriers to new innovative medicines becomes part of Government's primary policy. The Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, whom I am deputising for today, is very much focused on how we can ensure that medicines are increasingly accessible.

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