Healthcare will see a 'massive rollout' of AI and how the HSE delivers it 'will be key' 

Healthcare 21 chief executive shares highlights from World Health Expo 

Healthcare 21 chief executive Edel O’Sullivan took the reins at Healthcare 21 last July, taking the lead role in a company which now has a turnover of €136m in the Irish market alone, and employs 360 people nationwide. File picture

The chief executive of one of Europe's leading medtech distributors has predicted that advances in AI, robotics, and homecare will transform the State’s healthcare over the next five years.

Healthcare 21 chief executive Edel O’Sullivan has just returned from last week's World Health Expo in Dubai, the world’s largest healthcare event featuring over 4,300 exhibitors, and up to 250,000 visitors from the medical industry daily. 

Ms O'Sullivan described the expo as a "hive of innovation", setting standards of the industry.

Headquartered in Blarney, Healthcare 21 partners with global medtech brands to deliver sales, marketing, logistics and technical solutions across Ireland and the UK. 

"There is no hospital setting in Ireland that isn’t served by Healthcare 21," said Ms O'Sullivan. The company now serves 15 therapeutic areas and has eight standalone units.

Ms O’Sullivan took the reins at Healthcare 21 last July, taking the lead role in a company which now has a turnover of €136m in the Irish market alone, and employs 360 people nationwide. She predicts that much of the cutting-edge technology on display in Dubai last week will soon become the norm in Irish hospitals.

"The World Health Expo Dubai is the biggest healthcare expo in the world and brings medical innovators around the world together. The energy and exciting technology on offer has the power to transform healthcare delivery as we know it,” she said.

The future is changing. A lot of our work is in monitoring and consumables. AI isn’t something just being explored — it will be a necessity. The next five years will see a massive rollout in AI and robotics, and how the HSE delivers it will be key.

Waiting lists across the State increased by more than 86,300 patients in 2025. In Cork alone, 79,528 people were on waiting lists for hospital treatment last month, according to data from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

“In Ireland, we have the fastest growing aging population in Europe. One of the biggest issues we see for the HSE is capacity constraints for beds, theatres, and diagnostics. Combined with this is a rapidly growing population, and a shortage of healthcare staff. So we need a faster output for patients and a faster turnaround. That will be a big area of AI growth.

"Another area will be digital solutions, with virtual wards to manage patients at home and to keep them in community settings. The virtual bedspace will free capacity in the hospital. 

The tech is there already, and pilot studies have started in Irish hospitals already. Now it's about building on that.

Healthcare 21 has its headquarters in Blarney and has further operations nationwide, including Limerick, Dublin, Macroom, and Newtownards. Healthcare 21 started in 2003, effectively from founder Owen Curtin’s home office.

In 2021, Healthcare 21 was acquired by Swedish medtech organisation AddLife in a deal worth €245m. However, it continues to run autonomously. The company’s head office is in Blarney, which is the organisation’s main warehouse, administration, parts, and finance centre, employing 84 people.

Operations are countrywide. In April 2022, Healthcare 21 acquired Macroom-based equipment specialists O’Flynn Medical, which continues to employ 45 people in the Macroom area.

In Dublin, the Healthcare 21 facility at Vantage Business Park opened three years ago is driving the firm’s €25m primary care business, and is responsible for supply, commercial, compliance, and quality, serving as the company’s mobility division hub. Meanwhile, Annacotty in Co Limerick hosts HC21’s specialised decontamination facility providing cleaning, disinfection, and reconditioning of healthcare equipment, employing over 50 people, and key to a sustainability ethos which is now across the industry.

Aquilant in Co Down provides distribution, sales, and technical support for medical and scientific equipment across the UK and Ireland.

Medical innovations

Recent innovations introduced into Irish healthcare distributed by HC21 include the Dreampath Fina system to automatically store and manage pathology samples and paraffin tissue blocks. The system was recently implemented at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, with the first installation in Cork University Hospital this month. The Fina system will reduce repetitive tasks and improve traceability and workflows.

An example of robotic innovation is Procept Aquablation, manufactured in California and supplied in Ireland by HC21. It is already in use in Northern Ireland for enlarged prostate treatment in men, cutting recovery times. Its introduction in the Republic, when agreed, can lead to significant advances in care in the sector, believes Ms O'Sullivan.

While in Dubai, robotics and AI were key focus areas for Healthcare 21’s delegation.

“There were some great examples of navigation robotics in brain surgery that were of particular interest to us, as well as digitalisation solutions for patient records and robots that can perform full patient triage and check a patient's heart rate, blood pressure, and assess the urgency of care required. 

"There were some exciting automation offerings for the laboratory setting too, another area affected by low staffing levels," said Ms O'Sullivan.

“Our priority at Healthcare 21 is to bring the latest, most innovative solutions to the Irish market, ensuring patients and clinicians benefit from global advances in healthcare and ultimately improving lives.”