Fórsa will tomorrow (Wednesday) meet the health department’s review group that’s looking into private practice in Ireland’s public hospitals. The union has already made a written submission to the body, chaired by Ronan Toomey, in which it argued for state-employed consultants working exclusively for public patients.

The union also called for directly employed GPs, saying citizens should not be obliged to access the public health service via a GP in private practise.

Fórsa believes there would be significant costs attached to employing ‘public-only’ doctors in both hospitals and community surgeries. But it says taxpayers would be willing to fund a system where “citizens had access to an equitable health system in which they could place their trust.”

The union also underscored its support for the Sláintecare report, which calls for a universal, accessible and single-tier health service. The report has won cross-party support.

Fórsa also expressed its support for a health system “largely founded on strong community health structures that maximise the skills and strength of health and social care professionals.
 
And the submission calls for hospital clusters to be based on geographical and demographic realities, rather than “the academic pathways of medics.”