Health system responses to financial pressures in Ireland

Ireland's recent financial and economic crisis - one of the most severe in the European Union - led to unprecedented reductions in levels of public spending. Public spending on the health sector fell particularly sharply. How did the Irish health system respond to the financial pressure created by the crisis? What were the options available to health policy-makers as they sought to adapt to a lower level of public financing? How did the policy changes introduced affect the health system's performance? These are some of the questions this book addresses.

Originally commissioned by the Department of Health in Ireland, the book draws on international experience to assess and reflect on the challenges the health system has faced as a result of the crisis, to review underlying structural issues in the health sector and to identify priority areas for improving efficiency, quality and equitable access to health care. The book will be of interest to policy-makers and researchers in Ireland and other countries who want to understand the short- and longer term implications of sharp reductions in public spending on health.