Abstract
The market created by the public-private mix of healthcare in Ireland is described structurally as a two-tier health system. This paper examines how Ireland fares in providing acceptable healthcare to its citizens with its two-tier system. Areas discussed include waiting lists, manpower and the problems caused by an egalitarian society.

Outline
Waiting lists Numbers and Investment Under the Waiting List Initiative
Consultant Manpower
Acute Hospital Bed Designations,1999
References

From the Paper
"Everyone has a statutory right to free public hospital care in Ireland. Yet this entitlement cannot be met and is not met by public hospital services, as can be seen by the existence of long waiting lists. This is the main cause that 45% of the population is covered by private health insurance. People who are afraid of being left on a waiting list for months and even years in case of illness prefer to hedge their bets and buy into private health insurance, this is according to ESRI research. John Gormely of Green Party said in Dail debate referring to the ESRI report (2005) " it reveals the stark reality of Ireland's two-tier healthcare system. According to the study the quality of Ireland's health service is ranked at 21st out of 22 wealthier countries and is only ahead of the United States". "

Tags:waiting, list, hospital, consulatant, doctor