Fine Gael says waiting list crisis may never be solved

The problem of waiting lists may never be solved, despite the Minister for Health’s "big lie" to the contrary, Fine Gael said today.

Party health spokesman Mr Gay Mitchell rubbished claims made yesterday by Fianna Fáil’s Mr Micheál Martin that he would "permanently" end hospital waiting lists within two years.

He said the Minister’s "sniggering" response to questions on whether he would resign if he failed to deliver on this promise showed his "cynical" regard for the electorate.

Fine Gael were dedicated to ending the "apartheid" of the health system, he said, promising people would be "seen on the basis of your health, not your wealth". If even one person had to wait, then "we’ll all have to wait", he said.

Mr Mitchell conceded if he were Minister for Health in the next Cabinet he would not be able to eradicate waiting lists,as in addition to the 46,000 patients on the lists, there are an additional 100,000 waiting to be added.

"It’s not the amount of people who are waiting, it’s the time they are waiting that’s important," he asserted.

As Minister, he said he would put more emphasis on encouraging doctors and nurses to enter the public health system. There are currently 30,000 registered nurses who are not working because their "morale is destroyed" or they cannot afford to live in Dublin, he said.

When asked about the apparent renewed vigour in the Fine Gael campaign despite their poor poll showing, Mr Mitchell said the fact that canvassers were being asked about the issues meant a "sizeable number" of people have not yet made up their minds.

The Dublin South Central TD said there were now two alternatives for people - to plump for the "Bertie Bowl syndrome" or to vote for investment in public services.