The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has signed into law the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023 and the remaining provisions of Section 12 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. Section 12 and the Labelling Regulations together introduce comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products sold in Ireland and provide that similar health information will be … Read more
The new surrogacy law is anticipated to be written, debated, and enacted by the time the Dáil adjourns for the summer in July, according to the Minister for Health. The official drafting process, according to Minister Stephen Donnelly, is well underway. He said that it would often take many years to pass laws with this … Read more
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has marked World Cancer Day as a new report says Ireland’s increased five-year cancer survival rates are indicative of “high-quality care”. The recently-published country profile by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the European Cancer Inequalities Registry highlights that per capita mortality for 9 of the … Read more
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the expansion of the free contraception scheme to include women aged 26, from 1 January 2023. The free contraception scheme for women aged 17 to 25 was launched on 14 September 2022. The scheme is currently open to women aged 17 to 25 who are ordinarily resident … Read more
The €1,000 frontline worker recognition payment for Covid-19 is still being received by approximately 66,000 people. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly stated more than 190,000 workers are eligible for the tax-free payment while speaking to the Oireachtas Health Committee. He acknowledged that approximately 124,000 people have so far received the payment. As a token of appreciation … Read more
The Minister for Health has revealed that the cost of medical negligence claims to the State has increased by more than 650% in just over a decade. The State Claims Agency settled medical negligence claims for €81 million in 2010, Stephen Donnelly reported to the Health Committee. The minister warned that if nothing is done, … Read more
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is bringing the Health Service Executive’s Winter Plan to Cabinet today, with the objective of boosting capacity in public hospitals while also using services in the private sector. The HSE will provide individual plans to each of Ireland’s 29 emergency departments in order to prepare them for the winter months. … Read more
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan, and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, has announced an investment of over €23 billion in Budget … Read more
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today marked World Patient Safety Day 2022 (Saturday, 17 September 2022). Ireland continues to support this international initiative, led by the World Health Organization which focuses on raising awareness and ensuring that patient safety is established as a global health priority. The theme this year is ‘Medication Without Harm’. … Read more
Families of health staff who died after contracting Covid-19 in the workplace are being invited to apply for a €100,000 ex-gratia payment. The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD has opened the Death in Service Ex-Gratia Scheme for applications. Following cabinet approval for the scheme in March this year, the Department of Health has worked … Read more
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly attended a meeting of EU Health Ministers in Prague. This Informal meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health, and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council is the first meeting of EU Health Ministers under the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union (July to December 2022). The agenda focused … Read more
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has launched a public consultation on a draft national policy framework for open disclosure in the Irish health and social care sector. The Department of Health developed the draft national open disclosure framework to provide a consistent approach to open disclosure across the entirety of the health sector. The development … Read more
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan, have announced the establishment of a Strategic Advisory Group on monkeypox. The Group will advise the Minister for Health and Government on how best to respond to the monkeypox outbreak, enhancing … Read more
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has accepted new recommendations in relation to Ireland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The recommendations were made by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to the Interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who has endorsed these recommendations. NIAC has recommended: a first mRNA booster vaccine for those aged 5-11 years who are … Read more
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, and Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD announced an additional €1.9m in funding for women’s mental health services in 2022 through the Women’s Health Fund. The latest allocation of up to €1.9m from the Women’s Health Fund will see a significant expansion of mental health … Read more