An equitable health service

Sir, – Imagine how different things would have turned out if Covid-related medical care had depended on whether you had private healthcare insurance or not. Now that the emergency is receding, the Government needs to keep its foot on the accelerator and speed up the implementation of Sláintecare. In this context. it would help greatly if negotiations relating to public-only consultant contracts were brought to a satisfactory conclusion without further delay. This once in a generation opportunity to create an equitable health service should not be squandered. – Yours, etc,

CHRIS FITZPATRICK,

Dublin 6.