Minister for Health James Reilly said he has been approached by two funds, worth €500 million each, proposing to invest in primary care facilities in Ireland.
The Government was still in early stage talks with the fund managers, he told the Irish Dental Association (IDA) in Killarney. One of the funds was from the UK, the other from the US.
Dr Reilly said he was trying to create a range of opportunities for primary care practitioners to have ownership of and involvement in primary care facilities, and that the State could not afford to fund all the primary care centres required.
He said it was unacceptable that between 15,000 and 20,000 Irish children were on waiting lists for orthodontic treatment, as claimed by the new president of the IDA, Dr Andrew Bolas.
