Fianna Fáil has promised to recruit an extra 4,000 nurses, 500 consultants and 250 GPs over five years to boost the performance of the health service.
The party says it will abandon plans by the current Government to extend free GP care to under-12s but will give medical cards to all children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance. It plans to review free GP care for under-6s but says it will not cut this scheme, despite misgivings.
The phased abolition of the €2.50 per item prescription charge and the reduction of the drugs payment scheme from €144 per month to €100 are also proposed in the party’s health manifesto.
The party is proposing spending an additional €1.33 billion on health after five years, plus another €400 million in capital spending on 400 additional hospital beds.
Fianna Fáil says it will reduced waiting lists so that no adult is waiting longer than six months for inpatient or outpatient appointments, and no child is waiting longer than three months.
Minister for Health Leo Varadkar’s current target is for no adult to have to wait longer than 15 months.
Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher attacked Mr Varadkar's "punitive" health policies which he said had damaged those most dependent on services.
“The first thing we’ll do is to end Fine Gael’s damaging changes and return the emphasis to investing in public health services,” he said.
Other priorities include the introduction of a tax on sugar sweetened drinks, the phasing out of sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol companies and the provision of 2.2 million extra hours of home help and 3,500 extra home care packages.
