Expanding free GP care to 300,000 people, abolishing prescription charges and phasing out hospital inpatient fees are among the €155 million in proposals from Sinn Féin to cut the cost of healthcare.
They are part of €1.1 billion in new measures set out in the party’s alternative budget, which would bring spending on health to more than €22 billion overall.
Out of almost 90 proposals, just one plan, to save €25 million in agency and overtime spending, is a cost-cutting measure.
Asked about this at the launch of the alternative health budget, Sinn Féin’s health spokesman David Cullinane said: “Where would you cut in healthcare?
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“We’re not in the business of cutting services. We’re in the business of improving access to care for people.”
Mr Cullinane said €1.1 billion in new spending is “not an unreasonable ask” and he could have easily doubled that sum given “the scale of the investment that is needed”.
He said the measures outlined would reduce the cost of living, increase healthcare capacity and start tackling the waiting lists.
The party’s public expenditure spokesperson Mairéad Farrell said Sinn Féin will launch its full pre-budget submission next week and added: “Everything that we do is costed and is what we would prioritise and deliver if we were in Government.”
She said there would not need to be State borrowing to finance Sinn Féin’s plans.
Mr Cullinane said there would still be an exchequer surplus, despite the additional spending commitments the party is suggesting.
He added there will be revenue-raising measures proposed in the full alternative budget to be unveiled by finance spokesman Pearse Doherty.
In response to the suggestion that it is easy to propose huge spending measures in Opposition while Government has to make difficult choices, Mr Cullinane said: “You can make that argument — I’d prefer to be in Government all day long. I’d prefer to be the Minister for Health.”
Mr Cullinane said eligibility for GP visit cards would be expanded to 300,000 people by extending child access to under-12s, providing for people with chronic and terminal illness, and changing the income threshold at an overall cost of €40 million.
Work towards universal access to GPs in Sinn Féin’s plan includes making a multiyear deal with the Irish Medical Organisation — as opposed to seeking annual arrangements — and increasing GP training places.
On increasing health service staff numbers more broadly, Sinn Féin is proposing to fund a 24 per cent increase in health and social care graduate places in 2023 — a minimum of 1,500 extra across disciplines at a cost of €26.4 million.
It would spend €391 million on hospital capacity measures, and its plan includes opening 500 more acute hospital beds and 250 community step-down beds.
The party would allocate €63.6 million to abolishing prescription charges and spend €15.3 million next year to get rid of the €80 per night hospital inpatient charges over two years — with a 50 per cent cut in 2023.
Sinn Féin would also reduce the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold to €70, down from €80, at a cost of €13.4 million.
Expanding free contraception would cost €20 million and reducing and capping hospital car parking charges would cost €2.5 million.
Implementing a new hospital consultant contract would cost €52.5 million and doubling the staff subsidy for GPs over three years comes in at €92 million.
Investing “significantly” in implementing the Disability Capacity Review over its 10-year timespan and funding targeted recruitment and retention measures for Children’s Disability Network Teams would cost €153 million.
Sinn Féin would fund a “significant expansion of mental health services” to the tune of €81 million.
