To what extent the Irish health service is in crisis depends on whom you speak to. Whatever the precise situation, the issue is clearly an important one with A&E overcrowding and waiting lists for routine procedures already tipped as central issues in next year's general election.

"There is no doubt there are problems with the current system," says John Gallagher, managing director of Charter Medical, a group created a year ago with the aim of tackling this issue. Gallagher, with the help of several banks, his own funds and some funding sourced by well-known property developer Paddy Kelly, has raised €15 million to set up a dedicated primary care facility in Dublin.

Within the next few days the 22,000 sq ft (2,043sqm) facility, containing more than €4 million worth of medical diagnostic equipment, will open in Smithfield, Dublin, with the aim of relieving some of the burden placed on the nation's hospitals.

Within the following three months the centre will start operating 16 hours a day, including weekends, and in the long run has the potential to see as many as 100 patients a day.

"We are interested in two things," says Gallagher, who also runs a medical imaging company in the UK. "Firstly, in relieving some of the pressure within the current health system and, secondly, in offering patients choice."

As Gallagher sees it, 10 years ago we didn't have shopping on a Sunday in Ireland and now it's one of the busiest days of the week for such activities, so why shouldn't patient care follow the same route? "Access to healthcare is a right and not a luxury," he says.

Charter Medical, which will initially just offer diagnostic imaging such as CT (Computed Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Response Imaging) scans, ultrasound, bone densitiometry (DEXA) tests and X-rays, aims to negate the need for patients to visit hospitals.

According to Gallagher, public patients can wait as long as four months for such a service at their local hospital after being referred by their GP, a time Charter Medical aims to reduce to 48 hours. The clinic pledges to see patients within 24 hours of initial contact and produce the assessment results within the same time. As well as providing competitive pricing for privately insured patients, Charter Medical will also be the first place in the Republic to offer differentiated pricing for those covered by the General Medical Service (GMS), a scheme that allows people on low, or no, wages to receive some medical treatments free. An MRI scan, which is often used to test for tumours, will cost €400 for a private patient, while someone with a valid GMS card will pay only €270.

According to Gallagher, the prices for GMS patients are 30-40 per cent cheaper at Charter Medical than in other places. "Access to diagnostic imaging has been identified by the Health Service Executive and the medical community as a major barrier to the provision of efficient healthcare in Ireland," says Gallagher. "This is something we're seeking to address."

Gallagher estimates the clinic will serve people within a 50-mile radius, taking patients from as far afield as Drogheda, Portlaoise, Carlow and Wicklow. Logistically it's well placed, being close to the Luas line that has Tallaght and James' hospitals as stops and is only a short walk from the Mater Hospital.

With the launch of the clinic, Gallagher is also seeking to take advantage of a change to the VHI insurance scheme that comes in at the beginning of next month. It will allow GPs to refer VHI-insured patients directly for scans without having to go via a consultant.

"With VHI having 82 per cent of the private health insurance market here, it would be fair to assume that this is going to push up demand for diagnostic services," he says, adding that he believes this will increase demand for scans by about 50,000. Another external factor Gallagher hopes will contribute to the clinic's success is the increasing inquisitiveness of patients.

"People are becoming a lot more choosy about where they go, what they do and the level of service that they get," he says. "Competition is a good thing because it focuses people's minds."

In addition to the diagnostic services, Charter Medical plans to offer screening facilities, though this won't start until September. It intends to provide pre-employee, life assurance and injury review services to both the corporate and private markets at a lower cost than other institutions.

And Gallagher doesn't intend to stop here. "Waiting lists are huge wherever you go, so the potential for expansion is vast," he says. Charter Medical is already in talks with one group about a possible acquisition aimed at expanding the diagnostic business and is also in negotiations with several hospitals about building complementary acute-care units alongside the existing facilities.