The Oireachtas Committee on Health has heard that a business case for Ireland to have full electronic health records for every patient is due to go to Government soon.
But deputies raised concerns about how long it will take for a system to be rolled out.
The Health Service Executive said that one health region should have full electronic records by 2027 or 2028.
Fianna Fáil TD Martin Daly said that Ireland was the home of TikTok, Facebook, international firms with major expertise and yet Ireland was a laggard and off the chart compared to other countries in terms of such records.
HIs party colleague, Pádraig O'Sullivan, said that a previous meeting of the committee heard that procurement alone will take at least 18 months.
After that, he said, if Ireland was lucky, the system could be rolled out in five to ten years.
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HSE Chief Executive Bernard Gloster said the Minister for Health is finalising a full business case for electronic health records and a hearing from the Government is expected shortly.
Tihs year and next, he said, segments of the service would be brought to the maternity services and the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin.
Concern over number of CAHHS referral refusals
Deputies also raised concerns about Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Fianna Fáil TD Catherine Ardagh said the referral system for patients was not working.
She told the committee that in the Community Health Organisation 7 area - covering Kildare, West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City and Dublin South West - there was a 60% refusal by the system to accept referrals from GPs.
Ms Ardagh said the HSE needed to track the number of CAMHS referral refusals in each area.
She was backed up by party colleague, Deputy Martin Daly, who said there was a similar problem in Roscommon/East Galway and it seemed to be an institutional problem nationally.
Mr Gloster said that he would get back to Ms Ardagh on her question.
He said there is a single point of access to the CAMHS service and children and families will receive the best service for their situation.
Overall, he said, he was not proud of what had happened in children's disability and mental health services.
