What changes for health are in the election manifestos?

Health is the second biggest spending area of Government, with a budget for next year of €25.8 billion.

The Health Service Executive has around 130,000 staff and it is a very labour intensive sector. The various General Election manifestos promise a range of measures to improve services for patients.

There is a lot of common ground in relation to extra hospital and community beds, more frontline staff and making care more affordable, by cutting drug costs and prescription charges.

Let's look at some of the top line promises being made by the various parties, bearing in mind that a political consensus was reached in 2017 by the main parties on health reforms under the Sláintecare report.

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is committing to opening 5,000 more inpatient beds by 2031.

It wants to recruit more health staff and reduce the significant reliance on costly agency staff.

It promises to cap the monthly cost for drugs for individuals and families. The current maximum cost is €80 a month for drugs and medicines and certain appliances.

The party is also committing to extend free GP care to everyone under 18 years of age.

Currently all children under eight years here can get a free GP visit card.

Family doctors have raised issues about their current workload and the ability to take on a large number of new patients without extra resources.

Fine Gael also promises to implement Sláintecare which is a ten-year programme about halfway through.

Fianna Fáil

Emergency department overcrowding feels like a perennial issue and generates a lot of headlines. There have been a number of high-profile tragedies.

Fianna Fáil promises to reduce emergency department overcrowding.

Some modest reductions are already being seen but on any single day, there are hundreds of patients waiting for admission to a bed. Some hospitals are performing significantly better than others.

The party wants to increase the number of emergency department consultants by 50%, which would aid more senior decision making in emergency departments.

Its manifesto says that waiting times for all patients awaiting treatment will be brought to 10-12 weeks.

The party promises 4,000 more hospital beds and 100 more intensive care unit beds.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is promising free prescription medicines for all households.

It wants to employ 250 public GPs and to improve access for patients to family doctor out-of-hours services.

With some rural areas struggling to get permanent filled GP posts, the hope is that public contracts may attract doctors to work in these areas.

Like most parties more beds are promised – an extra 5,000 hospital beds by 2031, plus 2,000 community beds.

The party is committing to recruiting 40,000 more health staff over five years.

Sinn Féin also promises to invest €2 billion in the digitisation of the health system.

Green Party

The Green Party is promising free GP care to those aged 8-10 years.

It also wants to digitise the prescription system.

The manifesto is also promising free bi-annual gynaecology appointments for women aged 16-40 years, plus free Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Read more:
Latest Election 24 stories

The party is committing to improved access to abortion care.

It also wants a review of the Disability Act in particular, the assessment of needs process for health support.

Labour

Like some other parties, the Labour Party wants free GP care for all.

It is promising more acute and step-down beds.

The manifesto commits to improved access to modern drugs, especially in relation to cancer.

The monthly cap on drug costs would be set at €50.

The party is also promising to fill vacancies in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Social Democrats

Roisin Shortall chaired the All-Party Committee on the Future of Healthcare which produced the Sláintecare report. So, it is no surprise that key in its health promises is to fully implement Sláintecare.

The Social Democrats are promising 5,000 extra beds by 2030, as well as more State-provided Primary Care Centres.

It would also remove charges for access to all primary care services, GPs, public health nurses, therapies and medicines.

The manifesto promises to have a lot more emphasis on preventative care.

Aontú

Aontú is demanding more accountability for what it says has been wasteful spending, pointing to the cost of the new National Children’s Hospital as an example.

The party wants to ensure that a similar situation does not occur with the building of the new National Maternity Hospital and that it does not go out to tender without proper design. It is proposing a Junior Minister for Accountability to ensure waste is avoided.

The party also wants a clause in the contracts of senior public servants that they have a responsibility to mind the public purse.

Its manifesto promises to provide financial and other incentives to encourage Irish doctors and nurses living overseas to return home.

Aontú says that no woman affected by the CervicalCheck controversy should go have to go to court.

The party wants a change in the law on abortion, banning abortions within 12 weeks if a child may have a disability.

People Before Profit

People Before Profit want universal free healthcare and an end to the two-tier system.

This would include free GP care.

The party says it would reverse the centralisation of emergency department services in the Mid-West, where University Hospital Limerick remains under significant pressure with overcrowding.

The manifesto commits to taking private hospitals into public ownership.

It also promises to invest €500m next year in mental health services.

Independent Ireland

Independent Ireland has identified tackling waste and overspending as a key issue.

It points to the HSE overspend in recent years.

It promises urgent changes to the mental health system and more public-private partnerships and the need for early intervention and respite programmes.

Right to Change

Right to Change supports a Universal Health System, with access to care not dependent on income.

It also wants to end incentives to the private healthcare sector.