Social Democrats co-leader R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD has strongly questioned the government\u2019s commitment to fully implement Sl\u00e1intecare, the fully costed ten-year health reform plan put forward by a cross-party Oireachtas committee.<\/p>\n
Speaking following a D\u00e1il debate on the Sl\u00e1intecare plan today, Deputy Shortall said she and other members of the Oireachtas committee which produced the Sl\u00e1intecare report last May are seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health to discuss its progress:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are growing concerns among members of the cross-party Oireachtas committee that the government, despite its fine words, isn\u2019t fully committed to implementing the plan in full.<\/p>\n
\u201cSl\u00e1intecare is a once in a life time opportunity to do something really important in this country and it should be grasped with both hands by government. For the first time we have a cross-party consensus on the way forward in relation to health reform \u2013 health must not continue to be treated as political football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Shortall added:<\/p>\n
\u201cHealth care reform is this country has always been held back by vested interests. What\u2019s now needed is political leadership and tangible progress that shows the government is actually committed to putting patients first and ending the dysfunction in our health system. We won\u2019t get fundamental reform and change without upsetting some interests and the government needs to be courageous and rise to the challenge now.<\/p>\n
\u201cSl\u00e1intecare was published last May and since then I have heard many fine words from Minister for Health Simon Harris and the Taoiseach. But so far progress in implementing the Sl\u00e1intecare roadmap has been painfully slow. This leaves me with very serious concerns that the government intends to cherry pick this strategy rather than implementing it in full.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe separation of public health system from private interests is fundamental if we are to have a health service that treats people equally, based on their medical needs, rather than their ability to pay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to get the health system we deserve, the government has to show its mettle and face down vested interests resisting these reforms, including the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and private hospitals. It\u2019s not clear at all to me that the government has the resolve to do this in the interests of fairness and equity.<\/p>\n
\u201cSl\u00e1intecare proposed the setting up of an independent and fully resourced Implementation Office outside of the Department of Health \u2013 this is vital to avoid departmental \u2018capture\u2019. I met with the Taoiseach last August and he assured me his officials were finalising the job specifications to recruit a professional to head up this office.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwice since then I have asked the Minister for Health about progress, and I have received the same reply that the recruitment process was in hand. At this stage you\u2019d have to ask \u2018what\u2019s holding it up?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIs the Department of Health itself getting in the way of much needed reform? The Taoiseach at the weekend spoke about implementing health reforms based on Sl\u00e1intecare. This is an all or nothing strategy \u2013 it can\u2019t be cherry picked and it must not be watered down.\u201d<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n
16 November 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Social Democrats co-leader R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD has strongly questioned the government\u2019s commitment to fully implement Sl\u00e1intecare, the fully costed ten-year health reform plan put forward by a cross-party Oireachtas committee. Speaking following a D\u00e1il debate on the Sl\u00e1intecare plan today, Deputy Shortall said she and other members of the Oireachtas committee which produced the Sl\u00e1intecare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,7],"tags":[16,168,104,17],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-latest-news","category-press-release","tag-roisin-shortall","tag-simon-harris","tag-slaintecare","tag-social-democrats"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n