Stephen Donnelly said he is “halfway through” reforming the healthcare sector, adding that he wants to return to the ministry if Fianna Fáil is in government after the election.
Launching his party’s policy document on health, Mr Donnelly said he has been working hard with healthcare workers to “turn probably the biggest oil tanker in our country” – health.
He added: “I think it is the most important one and it is turning – and I think it’s going to require relentless focus now in the coming years to get that done.”
Mr Donnelly said the overarching priority for Fianna Fáil is quicker access for patients.
He said the party had halved hospital waiting times, reduced costs, transformed women’s healthcare and modernised delivery of care.
“We’re now about halfway along the journey of what’s required. Waiting times still need to fall further.
“Costs need to be cut further. New services need to be rolled out. I’ve led the development of a new culture of productivity and value for money and we need to embed this new approach, and we need to support it with modern facilities and e-health.”
He said Fianna Fáil would expand the health service with increased capital investment for more beds, primary centres, surgical hubs and electronic records.
He warned that there were not quick fixes to problems in health, but rather sustainable and impactful improvement.
“It’s not just about more of everything. It’s a painstaking, detailed operational challenge.”
Asked if he would like to continue on in the portfolio, Mr Donnelly said: “Yeah, I would.
“I am passionate about healthcare, healthcare is what I was doing before I ran for the Dáil in 2011.
“I think it’s one of the most important unfinished projects in our republic. I passionately believe that everyone through public health care should be able to get what they need when they need it.
“And the reality has been in Ireland from day one, that one of the biggest indicators is how much money you earn, whether you can afford private health insurance, how much money children’s parents can get access to.”
Mr Donnelly added: “I had the temerity to ask the incoming Taoiseach Micheal Martin for the job last time.
“People said to me two things. They said: ‘You’re mad’ – and maybe there is some truth to that – but they also said ‘it can’t be fixed’.”
He said people would not have believed four-and-a-half-years ago when the Government was formed that waiting times could be halved.
