Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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329. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the Sláintecare recommendation to remove private care from public hospitals on a phased basis; the timeline now being worked towards to implement this recommendation; the steps that have been taken to progress the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35055/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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In line with Sláintecare, a number of additional proposals to remove private practice from public hospitals are currently under consideration.

One of the proposals that has already been implemented is the Public Only Consultant Contract. The Public Only Consultant Contract was introduced in March 2023. The primary objective of the Public Only Consultant Contract is to enable the move towards universal, single-tier healthcare, with public hospitals exclusively used for the treatment of public patients. The latest data indicates that 64% of consultants are now on this new contract. This significant uptake is enabling the removal of private practice from public hospital. Consultants who have signed up to the POCC since January 2024 have 6 months to phase out their private practice.