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NEWS
Ministers publish
2015 Annual Report
of Tobacco Free
Ireland Action Plan
Minister Harris and Minister Corcoran Kennedy have
welcomed the publication of the 2015 Annual Report on the
Tobacco Free Ireland Action Plan.
Tobacco Free Ireland was launched under the Healthy
Ireland framework in 2013 and sets a target for Ireland to be
tobacco free (that is, with a smoking prevalence rate of less
than 5%) by the year 2025. A high-level action plan for Tobacco
Free Ireland was published in March 2015 and one of these
actions committed the Department of Health to publish an
annual report on the implementation of the actions outlined.
Commenting, Minister Harris said, “I am delighted to see the
progress that has been made to date in the implementation
of the recommendations in Tobacco Free Ireland. I know that
many people wish they had never started smoking and want
to stop, for themselves and for their families. That is why we
must continue to prioritise and enhance the supports and
encouragement people need to quit smoking once and for all
and to never take up the habit in the first place.”
The 2015 Annual Report outlines a number of key
achievements in 2015, including:
n The commencement of legislation which will protect
children from second-hand smoke in cars;
n The development of legislation to provide for
standardised packaging of tobacco products;
n The engagement with the European Commission
to facilitate implementation of the new EU tobacco
products directive;
n The further development by the HSE of the Quit
campaign and the enhancement of supports for
smokers who wish to stop smoking;
n The engagement of Healthy Ireland with changing
social norms around smoking; and
n The proactive involvement of the NGO sector in
supporting Tobacco Free Ireland actions.
Minister Corcoran Kennedy commented, “All of these
achievements will help us in our goal of making Ireland
tobacco free by 2025 and I commend the work of my
Department, the Health Service Executive and the NGO
community for their work in this regard.
“Smoking is the greatest single cause of preventable illness
and premature death in Ireland, killing over 5,600 people a
year. Smoking prevalence in Ireland
remains unacceptably high – 23%
of the population are current
smokers, 19% smoke daily and 4%
smoke occasionally. These figures
underscore the need to implement
all the recommendations in
Tobacco Free Ireland.”
Tobacco Free Ireland
Annual Report 2015
Minister Harris
addresses Future of
Health Care Committee
The Minister for Health Simon Harris addressed the Committee
on the Future of Health Care last month, setting out his views
on the future direction of health policy.
“I was delighted to have an opportunity to address the
Committee and welcome its work to date on developing a longterm
vision for the Irish health service supported by political
consensus, which I believe is essential.
“I await with great interest the outcome of this Committee’s
deliberations; however, having been Minister now for the best
part of a year, I wanted to share my own strategic perspective at
this stage and the key priorities I believe need to underpin the
future direction of the health service:
1. Shift our model of care towards more comprehensive
and accessible primary care.
2. Increase health service capacity, in the form of physical
infrastructure and staffing, to address unmet need and
future demographic requirements.
3. Exploit the full potential of integrated care programmes
and eHealth to achieve service integration around
the needs of patients across primary, community
and acute care.
4. Strengthen incentives for providers to effectively
respond to unmet healthcare needs by ramping up
Activity-Based Funding.
5. Empower the voice of the clinician and provide them
with opportunities to contribute to the management
of our health services.
6. Further develop Hospital Groups and Community
Health Organisations, align them geographically
and, as they develop, devolve greater decisionmaking
and accountability.
7. Follow this, with the provision of a statutory basis
for Hospital and Community Health Organisations,
operating as integrated delivery systems within
defined geographic areas.
8. Once statutory responsibilities and accountabilities are
devolved from the centre to Hospital and Community
Health Organisations, dismantle the HSE and replace it
with a much leaner national health agency. In the interim,
reform the existing legislation within which the HSE
operates to improve governance.
“The report of this Committee
and the work that will follow it
is a significant moment for our
country. I want to sincerely thank
the Chair and the members of this
committee for the non-partisan
and dedicated way they have
gone about their work to date
and for the opportunity
to present my views to
the Committee today.”
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IPUREVIEW APRIL 2017