Our healthcare ‘has better future than UK’

IRELAND’S healthcare ranks as eighth best in the EU in terms of being ‘futureproofed’ – scoring three points higher the UK, according to a new study.

The Sustainability Index, led by an independent panel of experts from across the EU in partnership with healthcare firm Roche, aimed to find out how strong each EU country’s system is now and how it looks to fare in future.

Ireland ranked highly in terms of resilience – placing fourth out of the EU’s 28 member states in terms of its ability to continue to meet healthcare needs for years to come. It also ranked fifth for quality, 13th for access, ninth for innovation and 16th for health status and outcomes.

A separate Breast Cancer Index, completed alongside the Sustainability Index, saw Ireland record the highest score of the 28 countries for palliative care.

The country ranked 13th on the Breast Cancer Index overall.

Dr Stephen Finn, consultant pathologist at St James’s Hospital in Dublin, said: ‘The launch of this index is extremely timely as it reinforces the need for action to be taken now to move the Irish healthcare system forward.’

He added: ‘Embracing innovation is crucial and structures must be put in place to enable us to do that, and manage the tsunami of information that improved technology will create, if we are to effectively future-proof our healthcare systems to ensure they are fit for purpose and fit for patients in the years ahead.’