We are doctors who work in Ireland, who believe that we can implement universal healthcare.

We believe that we can do this through investing in public healthcare and public hospitals, respecting and investing in our healthcare staff, removing the full cost of charges when patients visit our GPs and through public sector governance reform.

We believe that a drift towards increasing private healthcare will exacerbate our healthcare inequalities and ultimately cost more money.

All political parties in Ireland support universal healthcare and signed up to the original values underpinning Sláintecare. The national and health system response to COVID19 - with solidarity from all citizens - showed us that system reform is possible.

Access to healthcare should be a human right, but in Ireland access to healthcare is becoming increasingly difficult.

• One in five Irish citizens are currently waiting to be seen by a hospital specialist. Some will wait years, resulting in worsening health and ultimately increased costs.

• General Practice is in crisis as GPs retire unreplaced.

• Younger doctors repeatedly have their contractual terms and conditions breached.

• Doctors are frustrated with the incredibly slow pace of reform and have low morale.

• Ireland remains the only country in Europe without universal healthcare.

Many doctors remain strong supporters of Sláintecare's underlying principles of universal healthcare and resource allocation based on need.

We can deliver universal healthcare to our citizens- indeed it is the only choice we have, with rising healthcare costs and a population with more complex medical conditions. 

Ireland deserves a universal health system in which high-quality care is available to all who need it, when they need it, based on clinical need and not ability to pay.