Health Service Executive Chairman Ciarán Devane has said that there must be appropriate systems and controls in place to ensure the financial stability and predictability of the HSE.
In his first appearance before the Oireachtas Committee on Health, Mr Devane said that the establishment of an independent Board to oversee the HSE was a really important step in improving the governance of the health service.
Mr Devane said it was vital that public confidence is developed in the financial management of the HSE and that it targets scarce resources in the best possible manner.
He told the committee that one of the key priorities of the board is to develop a plan to build public trust and confidence in the HSE and the wider health service and to ensure the full support and implementation of the Sláintecare reforms.
Mr Devane said there was much to be proud of in the health service.
He said that since 1990, life expectancy in Ireland had increased by almost seven years and in an average year life expectancy typically goes up three months.
The new HSE board had its first formal meeting last Friday.
The Minister for Health signed the commencement order for the HSE (Governance) Act 2019 last week.
Fianna Fáil's health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly said the abolition of the HSE Board had been a serious mistake and it was good that a board was back.
Mr Donnelly asked Mr Devane if he agreed there was a crisis in access to healthcare, adding that access to certain care in Ireland was worse than in Africa.
Mr Devane agreed that there was a problem with access and the board sees this as a priority.
He said it was important to have models of care that allowed for rapid access, as well as rapid discharge.
He said public and political confidence in the health service will continue to go up, with good transparency, open debate and predictability on the HSE's finances.
Mr Devane said that when things go wrong and organisations learn lessons, the public will forgive them.
But if the lessons are not learned, they will not be forgiven.
