The Government has refused to take responsibility for problems in the health service while the Taoiseach "drowns us in figures", the Dáil was told today.
Attacking Taoiseach Bertie Ahern during question time this morning, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the Health Service Executive was "not working, it's not delivering".
"You have all this money going into it and at the end of the day the service that should be provided is not being provided," Mr Gilmore said. "We have a Government which refuses to take responsibility for it. The Taoiseach thinks his only role is to provide some kind of advice to it, have a word in its ear."
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, addressing Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the Dail today
It emerged yesterday that there are now more than 41,000 patients awaiting surgery in 32 hospitals across the State. The HSE recently extended a recruitment freeze for another month in an effort to balance its books, a move Mr Ahern today told the House was necessary.
"They have to get themselves into line by the end of the year. That's the position and there is no alternative in doing that," Mr Ahern said. He pointed out that last year there was an underspend in the HSE.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny noted that Minister Éamon Ó Cuiv yesterday said the HSE was a "complete shambles", impossible to deal with and that he can't make "head nor tail" of it.
And today former Fianna Fáil health minister Mary O'Rourke added her voice to the criticism saying she was "astounded at the remove of the Minister [Mary Harney] and the Department of Health from the day-to-day doings of their citizens in health matters.
"It's all a bit of a morass," the outspoken Longford/Westmeath TD told Newstalk.
She said questions for the minister were being referred to the Parliamentary Affairs Division who appeared confused about their role when contacted this morning.
"This is all very anonymous and all far too large ... It's not just one removed from the Minister. It's about 25 removed from the Minister who, therefore, because she's not scrutinizing the questions or replies, is at a loss to know what is happening throughout the country with regards to various matters of health."
In the Dáil, Mr Kenny continued the attack: "You tell me that we have a world class health system and consultants tell me and nurses tell me that people at the end of waiting lists are dying because they can't get service."
Mr Ahern responded that he could only give Mr Kenny the "factual position of where things stand".
"And if I tell you that there are 100,000 inpatient and day-care procedures done in the public hospital system a month, over a million annually, it isn't that big of a country, they are very impressive figures," Mr Ahern said.
"At the end of September there there 19,083 adults and 2,220 children waiting more than three months for hospital treatment.
"The breakdown of adults is, 8,026 are waiting three to six months, 6,046 are waiting six to 12 months and 5,011 are waiting longer than 12 months. In the case of children, it's 1,020 are waiting three to six months, 784 are waiting six to 12 months and 516 are waiting longer than 12 months."
Mr Gilmore said the experience of patietns at Cavan General University College Hospital in Galway told a different story.
"The Taoiseach can come in here as often as he likes and drown us in figures and money and billion and surveys from UCD," Mr Gilmore said. "The problem is that you can't get to the front line services".
Speaking at lunchime on RTÉ radio, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said the Government was "in the midst of a major programme of reform for the health sector.
"We have seen significant increases in expenditure in our health system which is bringing a lot of real benefits to a large number of people. Activity levels are up everywhere," he said. But he added that "some adjustments" were necessary in order to meet budgets "the same as other agencies and departments".
"The managemewnt of the day-to-day allocations, the day-to-day expenditure of the health service is a matter for the management of the health service. They are the people who have the accountability to Dáil Éireann to do so.
"We as a Government also have a responsibility and that is to make sure, as we are doing, give priority to health expenditure".