Hospitals on both sides of the Border could share ambulance services and emergency beds in future, the North's Health Minister said yesterday.
Ms Bairbre de Brun was addressing an all-Ireland health conference at Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.
The conference was organised by the British Medical Association and the Irish Medical Organisation.
Ms de Brun said: "Areas where I believe there is most potential for co-operation include ambulance services, the sharing of emergency admissions when beds are under pressure; agreement on protocols to guide GPs and ambulance staff, North and South, in referring patients; and agreement on arrangements for the transfer of patients requiring more specialised treatment."
Health authorities on both sides of the Border could also work together to reduce unacceptably high waiting lists, she said.
"I very much welcome the news that we are to treat cataract patients from the North Eastern Health Board."
The conference also heard that a North-South body to promote food safety is likely to go into operation from the start of next year.
A plan for the operation of the Food Safety Promotion Board is expected to be put before the North South Ministerial Council for approval shortly, Dr Tom Moffat, Minister of State for food safety told the conference.
The board will promote and monitor food safety, co-operate on cross-Border food alerts, conduct research and develop specialised laboratory services.
Poor career prospects for junior doctors are among the causes of difficulties in recruiting staff for hospitals here, Dr Moffat said.
Other pressures on medical manpower included female doctors leaving the service and the reduction in the number of non-EU doctors working here.
The RUC received 15,000 reports of incidents of domestic violence last year, the conference heard from Ms Monica McWilliams MLA.
Doctors should increase their own awareness of domestic violence and ask women about it if they suspected it was happening, she said.
Women hesitated to report domestic violence to their doctors for fear they would not believe them or that they would not have time to deal with it, she said.
Abused women suffered from depression and physical injuries such as fractures, broken eardrums and damaged eyes.
Midwives and other nurses were well aware of the damage which domestic violence did to the foetus during pregnancy, she said.
Poor health and poverty went together, Ms Helen Johnston, head of research at the Combat Poverty Agency, told the conference.
The links between them included:
Damp housing causes respiratory disease in children and adults.
Poorer people live in more dangerous surroundings and are more likely to suffer injury or death.
Long-term stress, anxiety and low self-esteem are associated with depression, increased susceptibility to infection, diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
People without private health insurance have to wait longer for treatment.
"Investment in effective health services for children and their families can address the consequences of poverty," she said. "Investing in children and family healthcare as a preventive health strategy will contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty."
pomorain@irish-times.ie