Is Ireland really a high spender on healthcare?

Claims that Ireland is overspending on healthcare may have been undermined by new data showing some other EU countries have similar outlays

Successive governments have dramatically increased spending on public healthcare. A total of €13.3 billion was allocated to health in 2015, while in the recent budget the government announced €18.3 billion for 2020.

It represents a huge proportion of public expenditure - roughly 25 per cent. Both Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe have questioned the value for money the taxpayer is getting.

Access to many parts of the health service ...