Ministers Meet To Discuss Cross-Border Healthcare Collaboration

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt traveled to Dublin for his first official meeting with Irish Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD, to discuss strengthening cross-border healthcare collaboration.

The ministers met at the Irish Department of Health and discussed potential for a paediatric pathology service, workforce issues, health inequalities, and cancer cooperation. They then toured the site of the new Children's Hospital.

During the hospital visit, they discussed the provision of paediatric cardiac surgery for children from Northern Ireland, which will transfer from Crumlin to the new facility once operational. "This visit marks an important step in our commitment to ensuring the highest standard of care for all children, regardless of borders," said Minister Nesbitt. "The new Children's Hospital in Dublin represents a significant investment in paediatric healthcare and I am pleased that children from Northern Ireland will have access to its specialist cardiac surgery services. Cross border collaboration in healthcare has long played a vital role in delivering specialist services that may not be viable on a single jurisdiction basis. This is a prime example of how working together can ensure the best possible outcomes for children and their families. I look forward to further strengthening our collaboration." 

Irish Health Minister Carroll MacNeill added, "It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Nesbitt to Dublin and to talk about the shared healthcare priorities between our two jurisdictions. Given that we are facing similar challenges, working together is so important and it is a sensible approach to take. I was also very pleased to host Minister Nesbitt at the Children's Hospital at a time of great transformation for paediatric care in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Enhancing North-South cooperation will continue to be a priority for me and the Irish Government."

The visit follows the recent announcement of a new Children's Hospital in Belfast.

Minister Nesbitt also attended a North-South Ministerial Council Transport Sectoral meeting and toured St. Francis Hospice, meeting with patients, staff, and volunteers. He also met with representatives of the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) to discuss all-island collaboration in palliative and end-of-life care.