Enhancing North-South cooperation is a priority for the Government. The Government is committed to working with partners in Northern Ireland to improve cooperation in health and social care where there are clear benefits for both jurisdictions and for patients across the island.
North-South Collaboration on health is recognised in ensuring equitable access, shared expertise and coordinated responses to common health challenges across the island of Ireland. There is a renewed focus on cross border health in Ireland which offers an opportunity to fulfil the strategic direction of the Shared Island Initiative which recognises the potential for integrated care.
Through strategic partnerships, service agreements and dedicated funding, Ireland is actively working to ensure that patients in border regions have equal access to cardiac care services. There is a concerted effort and commitment to a shared healthcare approach on the Island recognising that challenges go beyond borders and require collaborative solutions.
Extensive North-South Cooperation on healthcare is realised through a number of service level agreements and memoranda of understanding in a number of areas including cancer, pre-hospital emergency care, organ transplantation and cardiology.
The North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Area Hospital is a £66m sterling capital development project that has been funded on a north-south basis and commenced at the end of 2016. This cross-border initiative offers cancer patients within 90 minutes road journey of the city of Derry, access to radiotherapy in Altnagelvin. The expansion of the Centre has been a great success and over 1,400 patients have been referred there for radiation therapy treatment. The cooperation with Altnagelvin Hospital is one of the most successful examples of joint cross-border health projects to date, ensuring that patients can cross the border to receive a number of medical procedures and services, as close to their homes as possible.
In 2016, the North-West Cardiology Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) service agreement was signed. It facilitates the provision of Primary PCI to Donegal patients at Altnagelvin Hospital, particularly to patients diagnosed with a ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction condition (i.e. a heart attack). In 2023, 78 patients were transferred from Letterkenny University Hospital to Altnagelvin for PCI Services. Overall, since the inception of this agreement, an estimated 50+ cases per year are being transferred for urgent cardiac care. 561 patients have been able to avail of this service.
The Congenital Heart Disease Network continues to ensure that all children born on the island of Ireland diagnosed with congenital heart disease are cared for on the Island of Ireland. In November 2023, the CHD Network reached the significant milestone of over 1,000 children travelling from Northern Ireland for their treatment at the National Cardiac Unit at CHI Crumlin.
There are also two MOUs in place between the National Ambulance Service and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, which cover cross border assistance during exceptionally busy periods, and emergency preparedness and cooperation.
There is ongoing engagement to explore areas of health cooperation that could be further expanded to benefit residents on the island of Ireland on a cross-border basis. Working collaboratively to address healthcare challenges in both jurisdictions is of the utmost importance and, as such, enhancing North-South cooperation will continue to be a priority for the Government. At the recent North South Ministerial Council Health Sectoral meeting the Ministers of Health from both jurisdictions re-affirmed their commitment to increasing collaboration and cooperation across the full range of health services.
