The long-awaited shared care record, which will contain a range of information about the patient, and can be downloaded digitally, is aimed at ending the system of unlinked records being held separately in various health settings which causes inefficiency and other problems.

Department of Health official Derek Tierney told the Oireachtas health committee that if for example a patient attends an emergency department, the shared care record could be drawn down with information from their GP, pharmacy and other hospital care.

“It would mean those who are providing you with care would see a minimum level of information to help with the diagnosis or intervention,” he said.

He was speaking as Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was moving amendments to the Health Information Bill which will give effect to the digitalisation of patients records, amid criticism from members of the committee about how overdue the modernisation is taking.

A GP would also have access to their patient’s diagnostics “at their fingertips”, he added.

The primary benefits are increasing the safety and quality of care to deliver better outcomes and also in saving time , he pointed out.

The shared care record, or summary record, is a first step – but it will be several more years before a long-promised full electronic record which is more comprehensive will be available.

The first hospital to get the shared care record will be University Hospital Waterford and surrounding community and it will be extended to other settings across the country over the next two years.

He said the shared care record will collect fragmented information across the system and be combined in one, to give a unified view to a healthcare provider.

The new national children’s hospital will have electronic records, he added.

By the end of the year around 70pc of births, along with mothers’ information, will be captured in the electronic health record system.

He added that “we are under no illusion that the roll-out of full electronic records will take time and money”.

The minister said that “it will be staged system over time. The whole point is to have your record available to whoever is the provider”.

She said it will have to be done safely and effectively across both the hospital and community healthcare system .

She was asked by Labour party spokeswoman on health Deputy Marie Sherlock if it will be just GMS patients whose data will be in the digital record, and what the intention was around dental services and information held by private hospitals.

Mr Tierney said all information, from both public and private care, would be included .

The minister said the new system will require significant capital expenditure but could not say what the final cost would be, given that a live procurement process is under way.

“We have a budget at present of €190m which is keepings things going at the moment and maintaining our cybersecurity,” she added.