The primary drivers of this year’s extra spending for the health sector, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, are inflation and an ageing and expanding population, reports RTE.
He is seeking clearance for an additional €2.7 billion by going before the Select Committee on Health.
In July, the financing was revealed along with the Summer Economic Statement.
Additionally, €900 million in interim Covid-19 financing has been converted to permanent status, according to Minister Donnelly, reports RTE.
David Cullinane, TD for Sinn Féin, stated that he and others had issued a warning about an impending shortage a year prior.
He urged that “the madness” and what he described as a “very chaotic way to fund healthcare” be stopped, reports RTE.
According to information presented to the committee, the percentage of Ireland’s population over 75 is increasing at a rate that is seven times faster than the EU average.
Fianna Fáil TD According to data supplied by John Lahart, Ireland’s growth rate is between 25% and 28%, whereas the EU’s growth rate is 3.5%, reports RTE.
According to Minister of State Mary Butler, the number of residents in nursing homes operating under the Fair Deal Scheme has decreased by 400 since 2019.
“So that shows the investment into home care, day care and meals on wheels is working,” she stated, reports RTE.
TD RóisÃn Shortall, a social democrat, praised the news and said he hoped the upward trend would continue.
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