Letters to the Editor: Ireland needs a policy of health insurance for all

'According to research by the Health Equity Research Group in the OECD, private health insurance in Ireland is the single largest contributory factor to inequitable access to hospital care in Ireland'

Five-year-old Ruairí Fuller, the great grandson of Stephen Fuller who was the sole survivor of the Ballyseedy massacre, hands a wreath to Tánaiste Micheál Martin at the recent  commemoration. Picture: Domnick Walsh

The Government is pressing ahead with the new Sláintecare contract despite the rejection of the contract by the consultant bodies. This means consultants appointed to public hospitals will be paid a salary and will no longer have private practice rights within the public hospital. The Government hopes this will deliver care based on need not income, the single-tier system.

Unfortunately, the new contract will not deliver a single-tier system, as private practice in private hospitals will be allowed under the new contract. This practice will be funded by fees through private health insurance.