Radical reform the only viable option for health system, IMO warns

The health service is in need of radical reform, according to Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) president John Cannon, who described the Irish healthcare system as "chronically under-funded and under-resourced" in his presentation of the Organisation's pre-Budget submission.

The IMO said it was imperative that the government focus on two key areas in next month’s Budget:

• Health service capacity: "There has been little or no increase in capacity across our health system despite rising demand from a growing and ageing population," the IMO stated in its submission. "This is the key driver of emergency department overcrowding"
• Medical workforce planning: "Poor medical workforce planning has left us with an on-going shortage of medical specialists and extensive waiting lists for hospital care."