“I wish BAM would just give me the hospital,” Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill says when discussing plans for the year ahead. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Northern Ireland's Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt, on a visit to the new national children's hospital. There was frustration and disquiet from consultants when the comments were circulated, but Carroll MacNeill shrugs when asked about how the communication was received. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill following the launch of the national rare disease strategy 2025-2030 in August. This, Carroll MacNeill says, is “extraordinary”.

Source: The Irish Times January 10, 2026 13:04 UTC