Sinn Féin proposes to extend NHS to Republic in a united Ireland

In a short 2,600-word discussion paper, Gerry Adams’ party set out its broad aspirations for health if the border was removed, in an attempt to show that republicans have serious proposals about unity.

The absence of a national health service in the Republic – where patients’ costs are in many cases borne either partially or fully by themselves or through health insurance – is one of the key ‘bread and butter’ arguments which unionists make in defence of Northern Ireland remaining within the UK.

The Sinn Féin paper appears to offer a substantial carrot to voters in the Republic – who would have to approve the removal of the border in a simultaneous referendum with Northern Ireland – of free healthcare under a new constitutional arrangement.

Two years ago a BBC/RTÉ poll found that while 66% of people in the Republic wanted a united Ireland at some point in their lifetime, that number halved if a united Ireland entailed them paying more tax.

Commenting on the health proposals, Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said that the party wanted to “build on what works in both jurisdictions”.

The party’s paper proposes “universal provision of healthcare, accessed when needed, free at the point of delivery and funded through general taxation for all citizens across the entire island”.

It also proposes “a single, integrated hospital waiting list management system for the island of Ireland where people can move from one hospital to another to reduce waiting times”.

Leading republican commentator and former Sinn Féin candidate Chris Donnelly said that the document was part of a significant attempt by Sinn Fein to show that it is serious about Irish unity. “Brexit and the 2017 election results have revived an interest in Irish nationalism’s ultimate project of achieving unity,” he said.

He said that for Sinn Féin “this renewed interest has also sparked an enthusiasm for beginning to consider not just what shape a united Ireland would take but also what steps would have to be taken in order to create the circumstances within which a border poll could be won.

“In recent months, this has involved senior republicans openly discussing the prospect of some form of devolution for Northern Ireland remaining in place within a united Ireland framework.

“However,the party’s commitment to build an Irish NHS is not only ambitious but also reflects an acceptance on Sinn Féin’s part that, in its absence, persuading northerners to leave a jurisdiction in which the NHS provides free health provision for one where health appointments and care must be paid for could be a difficult sell.”