'Incompetent' coalition 'failing on health'

The incompetence of the Fianna Fβil-led coalition in Government was illustrated in its attempt to improve health services, according to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan.

Addressing delegates at a special party conference on health in Ennis yesterday, Mr Noonan said: "They set out to deliver a better health service. What was the result after all the money they threw at the problem? Even longer waiting lists than before.

"The problems of the health service highlight very well the cruel effects of this Government's incompetence, because while its bungling and mismanagement affect every citizen, they hurt even more those who are less well-off."

The party's Health spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, told delegates: "Nothing exposes the incompetence of the current Government more than the fact they presided over a health care system that has doubled in cost in the past five years yet failed to deliver anything like double the level of service or a similar improvement in the rate of efficiency."

Mr Mitchell said: "In today's Ireland, if you can pay you will live longer and in less pain, while those on low incomes must suffer on. This is unjust, unacceptable and untenable. We must end this double standard.

"There must be a comprehensive, modern and high quality health service available to all, based on fair criteria, not on the size of a person's bank balance."

Referring to the recently published Fine Gael proposals for reforming the health service, Mr Mitchell said Fine Gael was seeking "a citizen-centred health service which will be trustworthy, effective, efficient and accountable to the citizens it is designed to serve."

Some of the proposals include extending free GP services to children up to 18 years of age and people over 65; access to secondary care on the basis of need through a universal health insurance tax-funded scheme and the creation of the Office of the Surgeon General and of the Ombudsman.

Fundamental reform of the healthcare system to achieve equity and quality care for all has to be the uppermost and immediate priority for the next Government "or it will not happen", Irish Times journalist Ms Maev-Ann Wren told the conference.

She said, however, "the power of the vested interests and the inertia in the system are so great that reform will only be achieved by a Minister who hits the ground running and knows that he has his colleagues' full support in the inevitable battles which will ensue".