Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
1441. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he is satisfied in the context of the development of the health services in line with the objectives of Sláintecare; if there are specific areas of concern in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33786/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSláintecare is the all-party Oireachtas policy to deliver a healthcare system for the population of Ireland, that offers the right care, in the right place, at the right time, by the right team, at low or no cost to the citizen. A report on the implementation of the 2019 Sláintecare Action Plan, the first year of the Strategy, was approved by the outgoing Government in April 2020 and showed that a large majority of planned actions were delivered in 2019. That report is available at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0d2d60-slaintecare-publications/#slaintecare-action-plan-year-end-report-2019.
The Interim 2020 Report is due to be published shortly. Notwithstanding the ongoing challenge of COVID-19, the Report will show that considerable progress continues to be made. The Programme for Government reconfirmed the full commitment to Sláintecare. Budget 2021 has allocated €1.353 billion specifically to implementation of Sláintecare. Budget 2021 demonstrates a strong commitment by Government to the Sláintecare vision and will enhance the permanent capacity of the health services, substantially increase the workforce, expanding the scale and range of service to be provided in the community and introduce targeted measures to improve access to care in 2021. This will enhance the resilience of the health service in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also expand and reform the health service for the future in line with Sláintecare.
