The creation of regional health areas around the country will mean equal access to public healthcare for everyone.
That's according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall, amid a major reform for the health service.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly brought a memo to Cabinet, saying the new regional healthcare model will be phased in from the start of next year - being fully operational by 2024.
The aim is to provide care at a regional level with all needed services able to communicate better with each other based on geography rather than the current structure.
Decision-making will also be devolved to the regions which must generally follow national policy.
Deputy Shortall told Lunchtime Live this will mean more accountability.
"These are not going back to the health boards, I want to be very clear about that.
"For a start there is no political involvement at all - and the six areas that have been designated will each have a head of services.
"So the hospital services and the community services will be fully integrated.
"There will be one head of services, and that person will have legal accountability for ensuring that there's adequate services provided."
'Local population need'
She says this also means people can be dismissed if they don't get results.
"We're spending all this money, and yet we're not getting an adequate service from that spend.
"This is a reform of how we provide our health services - it brings hospitals and community together.
"It will mean that the budget going to each of those six regions will be based on the population in the region, and the socio-economic profile.
"So the budget will match the local population need.
"And the key thing about it also is that the management of it will be legally based.
"So if the head of the region does not spend the money wisely, and does not ensure that adequate services are available, then that person will lose their job."
She adds: "The whole idea is that there will be a fair sharing out of the resources... and that services will be provided in each of the regions.
"So that you won't have this postcode lottery about access to services - where good services are available in some parts of the country, and yet they're not available at all in other parts of the country.
"So it is about ensuring equal access to public healthcare".
Asked if this new approach means the current system doesn't work, she says: "Absolutely - we're seeing this on a daily basis.
"Our health service is entirely dysfunctional - there's almost a million people waiting for hospital services.
"There's another 250,000 people waiting for basic community services, like access to speech and language therapy for a child or physiotherapy for an older person.
"We spend more than most other countries on our health service, and yet the waiting lists are far longer".
