No sign of election promises in tightrope Health Budget 2026

• Not clear that €1.5bn current expenditure rise will be sufficient to meet need.
• No extra funding earmarked for endometriosis despite investment promise in September.
• No sign of expanding GP care for children up to 12 years, reducing the drug payment scheme or eliminating prescription charges.
• Paltry commitment to additional bed capacity just months after Department receives 2040 forecast.

 

Following on from the Department of Health post budget press conference, Labour Health spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD called out the tightrope health budget and expressed concern that the allocation will not be sufficient to cover existing services, a growing population, rising intensity of demand and higher prices.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The reality is that we have a health sector that is running to try and stand still.

The presumption this year seems to be that less than two thirds of last year’s figure of €1.5bn will be enough. We have been here before with works of fiction pertaining to the health budget, with supplementaries then required. It remains to be seen whether that will be the case next year.

“The current push to greater productivity across the hospital sector is to be supported but there is a stark reality that additional bed capacity and the adoption of electronic health records has to be a major part of that process.

“The additional beds announced in Budget 2026 fall far short of what is required and it is ironic that this comes just months after the ESRI issued their acute bed forecast to the Department of what is needed. Last year, we were told we would get 335 acute new beds in 2025, but only 286 will be delivered. Budget 2026 commits to only 172 new acute beds and that is less than half the 453 bed per annum that the ESRI tell us are needed to meet demand by 2040.

“On Endometriosis care, the Minister made specific commitments in early September to support women travelling abroad for treatment and to expand services here but today we see no specific reference or cost associated with them.

“Finally, we do welcome the long awaited establishment of  the 24/7 mental health crisis specialist nursing teams in the major model 4 hospitals. However, there remains glaring gaps in many parts of the country covered by model 3 hospitals. The Department of Health must move to ensure it complies with the Mental Health Commission’s recommendations on this.”