Locked out: How public patients lose out on the latest medical advances

If you don't have private health insurance you might not gain access to the latest medical advances

Dr Barry Maguire, a urologist and expert in robotic surgery in theatre in the Mater Hospital Picture: Bryan Meade

When Dublin-based surgeon Rustom Manecksha sees a patient in the hospital where he works, he asks whether his patient has private health insurance.

The reason? It can determine the type of treatment the patient receives. Manecksha does not work in a private hospital, but as a surgeon he sees a widening gulf between what he can offer patients in the public system and what is routinely available to patients in private hospitals.

Private ...