Sources say the Department of Health initiated contact with their northern counterparts at Mr Donnelly’s request after it emerged that 300 student nursing places were being cut for the 2023/24 academic year in Northern Ireland due to budget constraints amid Stormont’s collapse.
“This announcement from the Republic of Ireland Health Minister should embarrass the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and act as a wake-up call to the UK Government that they need to address the structural deficit in funding our public services from within the United Kingdom.
“A locally elected, accountable and effective devolved government is the right way to govern Northern Ireland and to address the challenges its public services face,” he added. “This is a significant investment which will ensure more nurses will be trained to work in our hospitals and help tackle the pressures facing our health service,” the deputy Sinn Féin leader said.
Ms Bradshaw welcomed the Republic’s investment, saying it was important to secure the nursing undergraduate places.“This is a clear example of how sharing resource and services across our island can deliver better results for people north and south. This is the kind of investment, with real impact for people’s lives, that will demonstrate the clear benefits of working to build a new Ireland,” Colin McGrath, SDLP health spokesman, said.