It's in the event extra capacity's needed this winter due to Covid-19
In March the state took over private hospitals in anticipation of a major surge in Covid-19 admissions at a cost of 115 million euro per month.
That deal ended in June with an arrangement the public system could draw down on services and capacity as needed.
The HSE's Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Colm Henry, says a new arrangement's being worked on:
