IHCA statement on Health Information Bill Debate
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) welcomes today’s productive Dáil debate on the second stage of the Health Information Bill 2024. The Association believes that this is a crucial piece of legislation which will allow for the creation of a fit-for-purpose digital health records system, in line with other modern public health systems across the European Union and wider world.
The existing antiquated physical records model is deeply inefficient, labour intensive and leads to a loss in productivity across acute hospital settings. Our membership is committed to assisting in the delivery of a digital records system across the health service.
We particularly welcome the provision of an indicative timeline for the rollout of digital health reforms by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly during today's debate, with crucial e-health platforms due to come on stream this year and next, paving the way for phase three which will see the rollout of full digitalisation across the health service.
Additionally, it is positive that the proposed legislation appears to enjoy broad cross-party support in the Oireachtas. We will continue to engage with all relevant political stakeholders in the coming weeks in order to ensure that the legislation leads to a positive outcome for both our patients and membership.
IHCA President Gabrielle Colleran stated in response to today’s debate, “In an era of exciting digital health innovation, it is clear that the existing reality of clipboards, paper, pens, pencils and fax machines across Irish hospitals is out of step with the modern world and represents a burden to both healthcare practitioners and patients. We fully embrace vital government efforts to digitise healthcare records in Ireland, in order to improve productivity and patient outcomes.”
ENDS
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