Northern Ireland: Political ambition is needed to save health care

After a two year hiatus, the power-sharing Executive government and its governing body, the Assembly, in Northern Ireland have been restored. An effective Executive and Assembly are the best placed institutions to govern Northern Ireland, especially when it faces challenges that are urgent, significant, and varied, but lessons must be learnt from past failings. The region has been without a devolved government for five of the past seven years, and this political vacuum has had devastating effects on public services. In a population of 1.9 million, there are over 400 000 people currently waiting for their first consultant-led outpatient appointment after referral, an increase of more than fivefold since 2008.1Successive suspensions of the Stormont government have meant that political oversight in crucial decisions on budgets, transformation, pay, and policy direction have been put on hold, including in health care.2 The principle of universal, equitable, comprehensive health care free at the…
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