The former head of the HSE has said that the current health system ‘is just not working'.

However, according to Prof Brendan Drumm, who is professor of paediatrics at UCD, major investment in primary care could solve many of the problems within the Irish health service.

Prof Drumm was appointed as the first CEO of the HSE in 2005 for a five-year term. During that time, he oversaw this country's largest, and some would say most controversial, healthcare transformation programme.

He returned to his academic position in 2010 when his five-year term was complete.

Speaking about the health service, he said that focusing on primary care could alleviate some of the problems within today's service.

"The Irish health service is at a crucial point in its development. We have an opportunity now, as a new government is being formed, to come together and force real change across the board because the current system is just not working," he commented.

He said that he believes that investing in primary care is ‘the only way we can solve many of the issues in the health service'

"We also need those already working in primary care - GPs especially - to be allowed to take more responsibility for bringing solutions to the table," he added.

Prof Drumm made his comments ahead of a public meeting in Dublin organised by the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), which represents around 1,500 GPs.