Ireland’s Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has indicated that a COVID-19 inquiry may be established “soon enough”.
The Department of the Taoiseach is currently working on the terms of reference for the inquiry. The inquiry will focus on how Ireland can be better prepared for future pandemics and respond effectively, reports RTE.
Donnelly has been following the proceedings of the UK’s public inquiry into COVID-19. He suggested that the Irish inquiry may also focus on text messages and “thumbs up emojis”.
Despite the challenges faced during the pandemic, Donnelly stated that Ireland had a lot to be proud of. He cited a study by The Lancet which found that Ireland had one of the lowest excess mortality rates in the world, ten times lower than that of the UK.
In preparation for future health crises, several measures have already been implemented, reports RTE.
These include an exercise conducted by Professor Hugh Brady, a review of issues with nursing homes, and the establishment of a new independent emerging threats agency. There has also been investment in advanced surveillance and the national ambulance service is scaling up.
Discussions are ongoing between the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure regarding the HSE requirement for a supplementary estimate.
The figure cited of €1.1 billion was arrived at “pre-October”, and the final amount will depend on how the remaining months of the year pan out, reports RTE.
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