Congress is demanding an end to all state subsidies for private healthcare and the establishment of a single-tier public health system, funded through taxation.
The call comes in a new Congress submission on the transformation of the health service and the creation of a universal, single tier health system.
The call comes in a Congress submisssion to the recently-established Committee on the Future of Healthcare, which was set up by government to exmaine how best to fund and structure the health service of the future.
The submission states that the establishment of the Committee presents an "opportunity to make a declaration of intent that, over time, we will move to a universal, fully integrated, single tier public health service that guarantees access and quality care, regardless of income
It points out that Congress is uniquely positioned to provide an informed view, as affiliate unions represent well over 90% of health service staff.
The submission calls for dedicated funding of some 10% of GDP for the health service, while ackowledging additional capital funding will be required in some years as the service changes to meet the needs of citizens. The health service, Congress points out, should be funded through a fair and progressive taxation system.
The submission says that over time the state should end subsidies for private health, reverse its current policy of privatising elder care "and re-engage as the principal provider of health care services for older people."
It calls for the construction of a network of Primary Care Centres that will serve as a the "first point of contact" for many members of the public, with the health service, with the Centres providing "an expanded range of clinical and diagnostic services and lead health promotion campaigns in the communities where they are based."
Central to any reform programme will be "a move to a team-based approach to patient care, which is consultant delivered and where all hospital staff are respected and enabled to perform tasks appropriate to their qualification levels and competence."
Committee meetings and hearings are expected to commence in late September.
