Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane, has strongly criticised the Fine Gael manifesto as lacking new ideas or proper costings.

He added that the Fine Gael manifesto might as well be a list of things that Fine Gael promised but failed to deliver over the last 14 years, with some new policies copied from Sinn Féin.

David Cullinane said:

“ Fine Gael manifesto for Health lacks new ideas or proper costings. The total funding that Fine Gael are committing for the health service would not even open all of the hospital beds which they are promising, nevermind everything else they have slapped together with little thought.

“I note Fine Gael’s commitment to implement more of Sinn Féin’s policies on directly-employed GPs and dentists, which Simon Harris had no interest in when he was Minister for Health. Fine Gael has no new ideas, so they continue to borrow from other parties.

“In 2020, Fine Gael promised free GP care for all children. They never delivered it. Now they are promising free GP care for all children, again. This manifesto is more a list of things that Fine Gael has failed to do than a list of things they will do.

“Like Fianna Fáil, they have set no targets for reducing wasteful spending or improving efficiency – unlike Sinn Féin, which has set out in detail the measures we would fund and a €1bn target for savings and efficiencies.

“Among the ludicrous Fine Gael proposals is a mandatory service period for health graduates – this is the height of disrespect to our graduates, thousands of whom are being left hanging at this very minute. This is the same Fine Gael who pushed for a recruitment embargo and scrapped thousands of health posts.

“Sinn Féin has published a comprehensive health plan which includes a major commitment to workforce planning, legislating for safe staffing levels, a bursary for first, second and third year graduates and a job guarantee for all health graduates.

“Fine Gael, and Simon Harris, have had more than a decade to implement a long-term plan for the health service, and now they are promising to develop one – next time.

“Their record is one of broken promise after broken promise – to end the scandal of patients on trolleys, to deliver the new Children’s Hospital, to deliver free GP care for children, and to ensure no child waits more than four months for spinal surgery. On every front they have failed, and the trolley crisis is now a year-round threat to patient safety.

“Sinn Féin has a plan for healthcare, the most comprehensive plan ever produced by a political party. It was developed with health professionals, experts, patients, and their families.

“It would deliver the change needed in healthcare. Our plan is backed up with costings and targets. The crisis in health will not be solved with back-of-the-envelope proposals lacking thought and credibility. It will only be solved with a change of government.”