HEALTH MINISTER James Reilly has named 35 towns which will compete to secure the 20 new primary healthcare facilities being promised under today’s government stimulus package.
The €2.25 billion package announced this afternoon includes €115 million for the provision of 20 new facilities – most commonly GPs clinics – to be delivered in two ‘bundles’ of ten.
The €115 million programme will be conducted through the public-private partnership model, where private investment funds the construction of the facilities, with the government then repaying the costs on an incremental basis afterwards.
Announcing the programme this afternoon, public expenditure minister Brendan Howlin said the locations of the facilities had yet to be decided – but that the programmes would ultimately be awarded on a “first up, best dressed” system depending on local interest.
This evening Reilly welcomed the inclusion of health facilities in the programme and the adoption of the public-private model, which he said offered “a good fit” for the primary care infrastructure model.
Reilly said the 20 final locations would be confirmed after agreement between the HSE and local GPs on the active involvement of local doctors in providing services at each venue.
The government’s ultimate target is that 95 per cent of patients needing healthcare attention can be catered for in a primary care setting.
In parallel with the announcement, Reilly announced plans to hire over 270 new staff to work in the primary care sector, saying a special fuding allocation of €20 million would cover the costs of 17 clinical nurse specialists and around 255 other primary care positions.
Those positions include public health nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational and speech and language therapists.
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