State to Buy Private Hospitals

According to reports in todays Irish Examiner, the government are considering purchasing a number of private hospitals in order to expand capacity in the public system and consider this a cheaper approach then building new hospitals. Based on the current mindset that sees the state renting private hospital capacity from the private sector, most of which has been left unused and has resulted in many elective surgeries being cancelled, it is quiet clear that there is a lack of common sense or basic reason as well as an innate belief that the existence of a private option is a bad thing, among many in government in this country.

FDI believe any such move by the state is not just fiscally unsound but will do untold damage to the private healthcare sector. We believe that instead of expanding the public system through the boondoggle of Slaintecare, the state should be facilitating more private providers and moving towards a semi state system for the current public hospitals