Ministers are expected to sign off on the creation of five new surgical hubs across the country to deal with the backlog of planned operations.
The hubs will be located in Cork, along with Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Dublin at a cost of up to €100 million.
They will focus on high volume surgeries like ear, nose and throat issues, urology, orthopaedics, gynaecology and general surgery.
Ministers will also be asked to progress the development of three new elective hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin with the preferred site in Cork being at St. Stephen's Hospital at Sarsfields Court in Glanmire.
