Press Release: Thursday 27 February 2025
Minister Carroll MacNeill and Minister Mike Nesbitt meet for the first time and undertake a joint visit to the site of the New Children’s Hospital
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, and the Northern Ireland Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt met in Dublin for the first time today.
Minister Carroll MacNeill welcomed her counterpart, Minister Nesbitt, to the Department of Health in Dublin to discuss North-South cooperation on health and social care issues. Both Ministers welcomed ongoing cooperation and agreed to work together to address healthcare challenges in both jurisdictions.
Minister Carroll MacNeill and Minister Nesbitt discussed the potential for development of a perinatal and paediatric pathology service for the island, workforce issues, health inequalities and cooperation on cancer services.
Later in the day, the two Ministers for Health undertook a joint visit to the New Children’s Hospital. Minister Carroll MacNeill, speaking about the New Children’s Hospital, noted that it will drive reform in the delivery of paediatric services and provide further opportunities for cooperation between both jurisdictions, and is a much needed and much deserved investment in health services for children and young people across the island.
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:
“I was delighted to meet with Minister Nesbitt for the first time today to discuss enhancing North-South cooperation on health and social care. Our health services already work together for the benefit of people across the island, including the North West Cancer Centre, the All-Island Cancer Consortium, the Congenital Heart Disease Network and our national ambulance services.
“I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to see the progress on the New Children’s Hospital today since my last visit and to demonstrate the realisation of our vision to my colleague Minister Nesbitt. With Minister Nesbitt’s recent announcement of the children’s hospital project in Belfast, the children of this island and their families will soon be much better served, and I look forward to seeing both hospitals lead to improved outcomes and better experiences for children and their families.
“I am committed to deepening and expanding the existing cooperation on health we have and I look forward to engaging in further discussions with Minister Nesbitt, both directly and through our joint collaboration in the North South Ministerial Council.”
Health Minister Nesbitt added:
“This visit marks an important step in our commitment to ensuring the highest standard of care for all children, regardless of borders. 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.”
