Government to consider extending term of Sláintecare advisory council

Minister for Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The Government said it will consider a request from the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council (SIAC) to extend its term of office to the end of the year.

After a meeting on Tuesday night, SIAC said it had sought an urgent meeting with Robert Watt, secretary-general of the Department of Health and the HSE, about the future of its programme.

The representatives said its term is to end next week.

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said the Government will consider extending its term and will address any concerns about the future of the Sláintecare programme.

He also denied there is political resistance within Government to Sláintecare.

The blueprint to reforming Ireland’s health service – Slaintecare – was agreed on a cross-party basis in 2017.

The project was hit by two high-profile resignations that sparked concern about the drive to introduce universal healthcare.

Members of the council held a meeting on Tuesday following the recent resignation of chairman Professor Tom Keane and executive director Laura Magahy.

Mr McGrath said the Government is putting the “money in place” to implement the changes.

“There’s absolutely no resistance within government at a political level to delivering on these reforms,” he told the Dail.

“This is what the people want. On an all-party basis, we have agreed to implement this and the government is committed to doing it.

“If there is a requirement to strengthen the governance structures and the arrangements that we have in place for the delivery of Sláintecare, then of course we will do that.”

Co-leader of the Social Democrats Roisin Shortall accused the Government of refusing to implement the plans.

“Minister, it seems your government isn’t interested in reform. All you do is pay lip service to it,” Ms Shortall added.

“You don’t have to take my word for that. Listen to the two senior Slaintecare managers, Laura Magahy and Tom Keane, and the former chair of the South/Southwest Hospital Group, Professor Geraldine McCarthy, all of whom have now resigned.

“They will tell you that serious institutional resistance to essential Slaintecare reform is threatening the entire project.

“We know where that resistance is emanating from – the HSE and the Department of Health.

“But critically, there is also a lack of political leadership, a lack of commitment and a lack of courage at the top from the Minister for Health and the rest of the Cabinet.

“We will never see reform of the health service unless the political will is there to drive it, to take on the vested interests wherever they come from, and ensure that the people of this country have access to health care based on need and not ability to pay.

“How do you expect the people to have confidence in the government’s management of Sláintecare when so many key people don’t have confidence in it?”

Mr McGrath said the Government remains “absolutely committed” to reforming the health service.

“We are committed to the implementation of Slaintecare, which was not a one-year plan or a two-year plan, it was a 10-year plan,” the Fianna Fáil minister added.