Louth County Council has called for closer healthcare co-operation between the Republic and the six counties.
It has passed a motion from Drogheda Rural Sinn Fein councillor Eric Donovan requesting that the Health Minister Jennifer McNeil Carroll pushes for closer ties in the sector.
The motion said that Louth County Council writes to the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to urge the Irish Government and the Northern Executive to take the necessary steps to enhance cooperation between the existing health services North and South and move towards the full integration of service planning and delivery on an island wide basis.
It also stated that such reform should be implemented in a planned, systemic, strategic way and an all-ireland Irish National Health and Care service. This Council also contends that it is essential that all of this work is accountable to the Irish Government, the NorthernExecutive and transparent to the public.
Councillor Eric Donovan has welcomed the support for his motion. He said:”There has been a lot of discussion around a United Ireland and that was evident for all to see during the recent Presidential election.
” One of the big issues within that debate is the state of the health services north and south. Neither system is functioning well.
“Successive British and Irish governments have not prioritised our public health services. They have failed to plan services according to need, to train and retrain enough health and social care professionals, or to modernise health and care provision for the 21st century.”
Cllr Donovan described how despite an all-party commitment to Sláintecare, the gap between public and private is widening in the South’s two-tier health service.
He added: “Little progress has been made towards realising the vision that was laid out in Sláintecare. Waiting times have grown unacceptably long, and in the north, the crisis is exacerbated by the financial control of Westminster; not to mention, the impact of partition on our ability to make decisions that maximise all-island potential.
“The discussion around Unity is the most important public conversation of our lifetime and it belongs to each and every one of us and it is an opportunity to protect and future-proof our public health services.
” On an island of seven million people, it makes no sense having two separate health services with no all-island healthcare plan. It is the responsibility of the Irish Government and the Executive to work together to improve health services for the people of Ireland.
“On its own, an Irish National Health and Care Service cannot overcome the inequalities and poverty in society that contribute to bad health so it makes sense to work together to plan and have access to a single health service that meets the needs of a changing society.”
