Dublin: Sinn Féin has introduced a detailed healthcare plan that the party promises to implement if it wins the next election. The 120-page plan, described as the most comprehensive healthcare strategy proposed by any Irish political party, outlines 350 specific measures to address key issues in healthcare, housing, and childcare.
Among the cornerstone proposals is lifting the HSE’s hiring ban to add 40,000 new staff, alongside introducing free prescription medication for all citizens. The document, shaped through extensive consultation with patients, families, healthcare professionals, health experts, and unions, is aimed at tackling Ireland’s persistent healthcare challenges.
€1 billion in savings and staffing initiatives
The plan proposes to cut €1 billion in costs by reducing agency spending, management consultancy fees, and outsourcing. Additionally, it aims to attract expatriate healthcare professionals back to Ireland, guarantee employment for current trainees, and provide a €3,000 bursary for first- through third-year students in medical training.
Enhanced Healthcare Access
The opposition party’s healthcare reform includes scrapping hospital parking fees, a 60% increase in GP practice contracts, and an additional 210 GP posts nationwide. Its 100-day legislative action plan would introduce free prescription medication, expand access to medical cards, negotiate a public GP contract, and add 5,000 hospital beds by 2031. Plans include opening a second emergency department in the Midwest and creating a Rural Health Commission to address regional healthcare needs.
Commitment to Timely GP and Specialist Access
To ensure timely access to general practitioners, psychiatrists, and dentists, Sinn Féin pledges to contract 250 new GPs and negotiate a viable contract with the Irish College of General Practitioners. The party proposes €5.4 billion in spending on new health and social care initiatives, with an additional €15 billion in capital projects over five years.
Apple Tax Allocation
Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty outlined plans to allocate €2 billion from the Apple tax fund toward expanding hospital bed capacity, bolstering Ireland’s healthcare infrastructure.
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