An All-Island Public Health Knowledge Hub has been launched to deliver directly comparable public health data for the whole of Ireland for the first time.

The project involves significant investment in strengthening public health research and evidence. It is designed to help policymakers, researchers, and health services identify trends and target resources based on robust, comparative data.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson Philip McGuigan said the initiative is built on the reality that health challenges do not stop at the border. He noted that comparable data will assist in tackling health inequalities, improving mental health outcomes, addressing chronic illness, and responding to demographic change.

Mr McGuigan added that the all-island approach is especially important for border communities, which share similar health needs and challenges. Better data, he argued, leads to better planning, better services, and ultimately better health outcomes for citizens in both jurisdictions.