Mayo Sinn Féin TD, Rose Conway-Walsh has outlined Sinn Féin’s multi-year plan to fix the health service, which would start with a Year 1 investment of €1.5 billion in capacity, workforce training, and cutting the cost of healthcare.
“Sinn Féin has a plan to deliver an Irish National Health Service which ends the two-tier health system and removes cost barriers to healthcare," Deputy Conway-Walsh said.
“We have a plan to cut waiting times by delivering 1,800 additional hospital beds over three years and training more healthcare workers.
“We would cut the cost of healthcare for people in Mayo by cutting medicine costs, delivering 400,000 additional medical cards, reducing the maximum monthly drugs payment to €50 from €80 and reducing minor injury unit charges.
“We would prioritise mental health service particularly for children and young people by more than doubling the number of bed available for child and adolescent mental health beds.
“We would oversee a step-change in how we care for older people by ensuring home help is available and supporting community nursing homes.
“We would deliver for people with disabilities by providing the residential and respite care, as well as personal assistance and day services that are desperately needed in the system.
“Sinn Féin’s plan would deliver universal healthcare over two terms of Government, tackle waste and inefficiency in the health service, and bring real accountability through significant reforms.
“For too long under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael our health service has lurched from crisis the crisis. We must do better.
“Patients, their families and health staff deserve a health system that works. It’s time to start fixing our health service. It’s time for change.”
