The Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) has welcomed the Hanly report on medical staffing published yesterday.
At a meeting of the ERHA board today a motion was passed saying that in particular it welcomed "the designation of the East Coast Area Health Board as a pilot site for the implementation of this report."
"The Board welcomed the opportunities this presented to improve access for patients to high quality acute care.
"The estimated revenue and capital costs associated with the implementation of the report were noted by the Board and it called on the Minister for Health and Children to make the funding available to the East Coast Area Health Board to implement the necessary recommendations of the Report in its catchment area," the motion added.
Earlier, the Tánaiste defended the Hanly report against Opposition criticism in the Dáil. Ms Harney accused the opposition of criticising the report before having read it.
The Fine Gael Spokesperson on Health, Ms Olivia Mitchell, said: "This is report 148 in five years within the Department of Health. In the last three years alone there have been 105 reports published . . . the only thing currently growing quicker than the waiting lists is the publications list of the Department.
"We have waited 18 months for this report and when it finally arrives it says nothing about the investment required for an additional 2,500 acute beds and 2,000 consultants needed to even begin this health experiment".
Labour's spokesperson on Health, Ms Liz McManus said it would be better for the Dáil to sit and debate the Hanly Report, rather than taking a week off in the run-up to Halloween.
Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said: "This is yet another report when what people want is real delivery of better services in their hospitals."
SIPTU said the Hanly report would place a burden on ambulance drivers as drivers would have to travel further with patients who may be in a life-or-death situation.