Towards universal healthcare in Ireland – what can we learn from the literature?

Ireland remains an anomaly in Europe in not providing universal healthcare. In 2017, an all-party parliamentary committee published a report (the Sláintecare report) recommending the establishment of a high quality, universal public healthcare system for Ireland. The report recommended the introduction of universal GP and primary care, ending private practice in public hospitals, reducing or removing out-of-pocket fees and substantially increasing public healthcare expenditure and capacity in a tax-funded system. While there has been some progress in implementing the proposals set out in the Sláintecare report, much more is required to move towards universal healthcare in Ireland.

The aim of the analysis in this report is to review the national and international literature on universal healthcare to identify if there are lessons for Ireland as it seeks to move towards a universal healthcare system