Vivas promises significantly lower prices

Ireland's newest private health insurance company has vowed to offer policies to customers at significantly lower prices than those offered by the VHI and BUPA.

Vivas Health, which was launched this morning, is backed by financier Dermot Desmond and Allied Irish Bank, which will be able to use its branch network to sell Vivas products.

Speaking at the launch, the company's chief executive, Oliver Tattan, said: "We offer more choice, far more plans, better prices, better value for money [and] more benefits.

"We have a very, very strong and a very rich offering to consumers and to corporates alike. We have very ambitious plans. We do want to take on the market and we do want to take on the big players in the market."