Stephen Donnelly has said that it is "too early to say" if he is finished with politics for good, as he prepares to hand over the job to a new TD this week.
The outgoing Health Minister, lost his seat in the Wicklow-Wexford constituency in the last general election, and now plans to spend "more time with my family than was possible over the last few years".
Donnelly, who is father of three sons, has not sought a seat in the Seanad, and therefore will not be part of the next Oireachtas.
Mr Donnelly co founded the Social Democrats in 2015, topping the polls in 2016, before leaving the party to join Fianna Fáil in 2017.
Speaking about his plans for when he officially signs off, Stephen Donnelly said that he is keen to spend more time with his family.
“The last few years in particular have been very intense. I have three sons. I was taking my photos off the Department of Health laptop and looking back five years and my oldest is now 15", he said. “He was a child when I went in and he is now six foot two and looks down at me,”.
“I have a lot of catching up to do. I am immensely proud and honoured to serve in government and be Minister for Health, but it meant I was not the dad I was meant to be, or the husband, son, brother or friend".
Following the creation of the Wicklow-Wexford constituency, Wicklow lost a seat in the Dáil, which Donnelly claims created difficulties for him.
”Had that not happened, I think I would have taken a seat. Simon Harris becoming Taoiseach – we share the same town", stated Donnelly. “Health is a difficult ministry. What gets covered and what we discuss nearly all the time are things that are not working, for good reason, and we don’t talk about the important progress that gets made".
Elsewhere, Stephen Donnelly said that he has spent the last few weeks overlooking the winter virus and trolley surge, adding that there are plans to roll out free HRT which he said will happen in the next fortnight.
The Wicklow native also added that huge challenges remain for patients and staff, but he has insisted that progress will be made over the next few years. But he did say that too many people are still waiting lists and on trolleys.
According to the outgoing TD, there is still a long way to go and “we need to be very humble,”.
Mr Donnelly also spoke about the pressure of being Health Minister, stating that there is nothing close to the complexity of healthcare.
He said when he took the job, the HSE did not have a culture of productivity and the information technology to measure it, explaining that the new public-only contract for hospital consultants and the move from five to seven days a week for regular workers has also improved things.
Mr Donnelly also believes that the first children could be treated in the new National Children's Hospital by the end of this year.
