Sinn Féin and the SDLP have clashed over health in the first major skirmish between the two parties since their election campaigns began.
Speaking yesterday at the first of a series of press events, Dr Joe Hendron criticised the former Sinn Féin minister for health, Ms Bairbre de Brún, accusing her of "inaction, indecision and incompetence".
Unveiling the SDLP three-point plan on health, Dr Hendron claimed that an investment of £687 million in health care was due to the work of SDLP ministers Mr Mark Durkan and Dr Séan Farren. The plan includes additional investment, a promise that new money will go to frontline services rather than administration, and a guarantee that the extra investment would produce "real change".
"We will guarantee that SDLP ministers will - as they did in the last assembly - match funding of the health service here penny for penny with the money made available by the British government. That means a minimum increase in health spending of more than £0.75 billion," he said.
Dr Hendron also accused the former Sinn Féin minister of presiding over "a massive growth of waiting lists".
"While out health service suffered, she sleepwalked through her term of office," he said.
Sinn Féin countered by stating the SDLP had refused to take the health portfolio when they had the choice. Accusing the party of desperation, Ms Sue Ramsey a West Belfast candidate, said Dr Hendron's criticisms reflected the electioneering tactics of workers from other parties drafted into the SDLP campaign.
"People will not be fooled by scripts that were written for Joe Hendron by members of the Progressive Democrats in the South who are committed to the privatisation of health or indeed by Fianna Fáil or British Labour Party spin doctors who are more focused on negative campaigning and whose parties had delivered very little in terms of health," she said.
She added that Ms de Brún fought for the North's new cancer centre and worked to cut what she called "decades of neglect and underinvestment".
"We are now finally seeing waiting lists beginning to decrease as a result of the work done by Bairbre de Brun," she added. "On the doorsteps many voters are asking us why the SDLP have refused to challenge anything in the health service since British direct rule ministers took over and have asked if the SDLP's only interest in health is in point-scoring against Sinn Féin."
Dr Hendron replied last night, saying Sinn Féin would not match the SDLP commitment on health spending, to control red tape and on the pledge to make a real difference.
"The fact that they refuse to answer our points surely shows that they accept our criticism of Bairbre de Brún's record. Our positive approach to health is hitting home and Sinn Féin are desperate to avoid the issue. Bairbre had every opportunity to get it right on health, yet time and time again she flunked it."