Hospital waiting lists condemned

THE Fianna Fail health spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, has accused the Government of "failing to attend to the crisis in hospital …

THE Fianna Fail health spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, has accused the Government of "failing to attend to the crisis in hospital waiting lists". He said the lists were "out of control".

Mr Cowen was responding to an increase in the number of people on hospital waiting lists from 26,000 to 29,000.

However, the Labour TD, Mr Sean Kenny, said Mr Cowen was being hypocritical. "Everyone knows that the growth in waiting lists started with the last Fianna Fail/PD government, which started the practice of summer closing of hospitals," he claimed.