The priorities for our health service in Budget 2026 are completely askew, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice.
Deputy Rice, who is Chair of the Oireacthas Health Committee, said:
“In the Health Minister’s quest for productivity and value for money, she has lost sight of reform.
“She seems to forget that without reform of the health service – such as moving away from a hospital-centric model – we will continue to treat people in the least efficient, most expensive way.
“Rarely has there been a more underwhelming budget for health – the Minister has shown no ambition and no commitment to change.
“Minister Carroll MacNeill’s fixation on cost saving and boosting efficiency has come at the cost of genuine reform.
“Sláintecare, a plan to transform the Irish health system, has been put on ice for 2026 – additional solutions put forward by the Social Democrats in our Alternative Budget have been ignored.
“There should be a clear focus on consultant rostering, weekend scheduling and hospital activity, but there should also be a focus on improving services and reducing out-of-pocket expenses.
“On the latter, this year’s Budget does nothing to make healthcare more affordable – a key element of Sláintecare.
“There’s radio silence on extending free GP care and reducing drug payment scheme charges – in a budget which will increase poverty rates, particularly for vulnerable groups, a reduction in costs is absolutely essential.
“When questioned about the lack of measures to cut healthcare costs at today’s Department of Health briefing, the Minister pointed to the new common conditions scheme – an already announced initiative under the Community Pharmacy Agreement.
“This new scheme will come with a consultation fee, even for medical card patients – there are no big-ticket health reforms in this budget, just a repackaging of pre-committed initiatives.
“I assumed we would get more details from today’s budget briefing, but very little was forthcoming – in fact, while the Minister listed scoliosis, cancer and endometriosis as priorities, she outlined no new initiatives to achieve progress in these areas and provided no budget allocations.
“This is a health budget short on detail, ambition and reform.”
October 8th, 2025