Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has said that real action is needed to lessen dependency on private health insurance.

Deputy Cullinane said a 6.5% hike in Laya Healthcare premiums follows a 7% price increase in April.

He added that real action is needed to reduce the cost of health care, to build up public capacity, to reform the public system and to provide public alternatives to private health care benefits.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“Massive increases in private health care premiums have become the norm. The state is spending over €24 billion a year on public healthcare and yet so many cannot depend on the public system for timely care.

“Last year, I set out ambitious plans to reform our healthcare system including reducing the cost of healthcare, delivering a truly universal healthcare system, increasing capacity in local health services and crucially accelerating delivery of public elective only hospitals.

“A Sinn Féin government would take big bold steps to deliver universal healthcare by upgrading more GP visit cards to a full medical card, reducing monthly medicines costs year on year, abolishing prescription and car parking charges and targeted measures such as full universal access to contraception for women and free HRT for all women who need it.

“A Sinn Féin government would deliver on the commitment of Sláintecare to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. This would be achieved by upgrading and expanding local health services with a landmark public GP contract, hiring public dentists, delivering a Pharmacy First model for minor ailments, and a Home First public service model of community care.

“We would also deliver 5,000 acute and community beds, more diagnostic capacity, theatre space, and aligned discharge capacity in the community, and by accelerating the delivery of public only elective hospitals. This would be underpinned by community care reform and by legislating for safe staffing levels.

“This government has dragged its feet on delivering public only elective hospitals. Building such hospitals would transform the public system, separate scheduled from unscheduled care and deliver rapid access to elective and planned procedures in the public system and lessen dependency on private health insurance.

“This is a government that seems incapable of building hospitals as well as houses. The National Children’s Hospital saga continues and we are not even at the starting gate regarding public elective hospitals.

“If we really want to give workers and families a break and reduce the cost of healthcare and provide care at the right place at the right time then we need a change in government.

“Sinn Féin has a plan to deliver the additional capacity and reforms needed to transform healthcare from a deeply unfair two-tier system to a Universal Public Healthcare system we can be proud of.”