Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
887. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the consideration he has given to permanently retaining private hospitals in public use in order to accelerate progress towards a single-tier health service in line with Sláintecare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5434/20]
View answerThe arrangement between the HSE and the private hospitals, which enables the HSE to have 100% access to the private hospital’s capacity, is one of the emergency measures which were set out in the Government’s Action Plan in Response to Covid-19. As such the arrangement is a temporary one. The arrangement is for a 3-month period, with an option for the HSE to extend it for a further month. Any extension of the arrangement beyond that would have to be agreed by the HSE and the private hospitals concerned. Any discussions regarding an extension would have to be considered in the context of the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic and the most effective use of resources in tackling it. Therefore, while there is an option to extend the arrangement, it is not intended that it would be permanent.
