New healthcare statistics show that health services here are improving but there are still some areas of concern and some big regional variations.
The areas of concern include rising use of antibiotics in the community and a rising caesarean rate.
The second annual National Healthcare Quality Reporting System statistics give outcomes for heart, stroke and cancer patients and other key national indicators.
For patients who had heart attacks the in-hospital mortality rate after 30 days is 6.4 per 1,000. That is lower than the OECD average of 8.0 and slightly lower than last year's rate of 6.8
However there are significant variations - the highest mortality rate was in Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, which reported 9.27 deaths per 1,000, while the lowest rate of 3.25 per 1,000 was reported in Navan.
Both hospitals are in the Ireland East hospital group.
For 30 day in-hospital mortality rates for haemorrhagic strokes the national figure for Ireland is 22.21 per 1,000, lower than the OECD average of 24.6 and down from last year’s figure of 26.2.
Again there was significant variation between hospitals.
Tallaght reported the lowest mortality rate, 13.26, with the highest rate, 34.72, reported in Naas. Both are in the Dublin Midlands Hospital group.
For ischemic stroke patients the national mortality in hospital mortality rate per 1,000 is 9.17. That is higher than the OECD average of 8.4 but an improvement on the figure from last year, which was 9.9
The hospital reporting the highest mortality rate in this area is Our Lady's Hospital in Navan with 13.21.
The lowest mortality rate was the Mater Hospital with 5.45.
Both are in the Ireland East hospital group.
A Department of Health official said the differences in mortality rates do not always reflect a difference in quality of care.
He said that for example a hospital which admitted patients who are less seriously ill would admit more patients and have lower mortality rate while a hospital in an area where less seriously ill patients are cared for in the community would admit fewer patients and have a higher mortality rate.
Caesarean section rates are a cause for concern as they continue to rise.
The latest figures are 30.4 per 100 live births, slightly higher than the 2014 rate of 28.5 and higher than the OECD average of 27.6.
Again the official said while rising Caesarean rates are not desirable this does not necessarily mean there are more inappropriate caesarean sections being performed.
He said that there are a higher number of older mothers and more obese mothers. Both these factors lead to more surgical interventions.
But this is another area where there is significant regional variation.
The lowest rate was the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street (24.3) followed closely by Wexford General (25.0).
The highest was South Tipperary General in Clonmel (36.9) followed by St Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny (35.5)
In the northwest Mayo General had a rate of 33.9 but the rate at Sligo General was 26.7
Cause for concern in other areas
Other areas of concern include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The Irish rate of hospitalisation per 100,000 population is 394.9- the highest in the OECD and twice the average figure of 200.6
Breast Cancer five-year survival rates here are improving but are still little below the OECD average
Cervical Cancer five-year survival rates are improving but below OECD average
Colorectal Cancer five-year survival rates are improving and catching up with the OECD average but still below it.
MSRA infection rates are falling but total outpatient antibiotic use is rising which is a cause for concern.
