The Labour leader's calling for the resumption of screening programmes, elective treatments and routine blood tests amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Alan Kelly said there's a serious danger lives will be lost down the line if they are not and also because people are fearful of attending their GP or local hospital.
He's calling for an urgent national awareness campaign to get people back using the health service.
"Firstly we need a public awareness campaign to engage and tell people that they need to take their appointments.
"Secondly we need to get screening up and running again.
"Thirdly we need to use the capacity across our hospital networks.
"Fourthly we need to engage and use the private hospitals which we are paying for, which are chronically underused now as we all know, as the surge didn't happen."
