Sláintecare

The intent of the Sláintecare reforms is to achieve a universal single-tier health and social care system, which provides equitable access to services based on need, and not ability to pay.

The newly elected Irish government committed itself in March 2011 to reform the two-tier structure of national health service in response to public discontent with austerity measures from 2008 onwards.

[3] Since public funding of health provision was reduced between 2009 and 2013 to meet payment obligations arising from the state's budget deficit, citizens faced higher medical charges and extended waiting lists.

[3] However, after a public consultation procedure regarding the reform initiatives the plan of universal health insurance was abandoned by the Irish administration in November 2015 due to projections that the envisaged system would be too costly and would still require the highest share of funds by general taxation.

[10] In May 2017 the committee published its final report entitled “Committee on the Future of Health, Sláintecare Report[11]”, which specified universal healthcare based on the following definition: A universal healthcare system will provide population, promotive, preventative, primary, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health and social care services to the entire population of Ireland, ensuring timely access to quality, effective, integrated services on the basis of clinical need.The document entails a proposed ten-year plan for reforming the Irish health system towards universal healthcare.

[12] The report foresees the provision of health cards called Carta Sláinte to every citizen, granting access to primary care free of charges at specified local entities preferably outside of hospitals.

[10] This system is planned to be funded by taxation, requiring an increase of public health spending and further infrastructure investment of approximately 3 billion Euros.

[15] In the Autumn of 2021, several members of the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council resigned, including Professor Anthony O’Connor who predicted that the project was "doomed to fail".