Fiachaire Discusses Health Outside County Council Office

The busy Tánaiste having spoken with members of the city council wished to speak with the county council as well, but stopped outside to address health policies.

"Solidarity stands behind developing a cohesive health and social care strategy, including community care, which subverts health inequalities and provides a proper level of funding to meet the needs of all citizens."

"We support ending all State subsidies to the private health care sector, including the insurance sector, and ending all HSE contracts with private for profit organisations."

"With the repeal of the 8th and the legislation of B100 we have new pressures and new services to build, which the conservatives will throw straight into the tar. We have the ability to provide proper care to women in Ireland and Solidarity, having made it possible, will make it work."

"We will strengthen the HSE by directly employing staff and introducing a direct state contract for General Practitioners and consultants which precludes them from working outside of the public health care system."

"The money is there, and we can cut a lot of costs by not pandering to privatisation. We need a proper sustainable model and the political will to support it. Part of that model is empowering local authorities which in itself will depoliticise the issue to a degree."

"One reason I wanted to stop and talk a moment is because I believe the county councils across Ireland have been key to successful care outside of institutionlised thinking and a national program has much to learn from that. I believe we need a sufficient investment in home treatment and crisis response teams needed to maintain people in the community, and support service users in their recovery in physical and mental conditions."

"This will create jobs, this will stabilise and diversify the economy, this will improve our community connections and our management of housing and homelessness, of drugs and crime, and most of all provide the informed design of a healthcare system which works for everyone."