Ireland must develop its own policy on genetic engineering and other controversial medical advances, the Minister for Health said. Cloning, which had previously been the subject of science fiction writers, had now become fact.
Mr Cowen said that, while the issues had an international dimension, each society had to reach its own conclusions on developments.
The contribution of the medical profession was fundamental to developing strategies and solutions to these issues, the Minister said.
"While cloning has a high media profile, the reality is that across an entire spectrum of medical research advances are constantly being made that require us to assess and reassess basic human issues that go far beyond medicine to the very heart of the world we live in. In some cases the pace of change can be so great that science has moved on even before the ethical dilemmas are resolved."
Mr Cowen also said the health services had a lot to learn from the private sector in how to treat people who need the services.
"A well-educated population which is used to receiving a high level of service from airlines, supermarkets and other places sees no reason why health service institutions should get away with treating them any differently. I think we can learn a lot from the best example the private sector has to offer."
Speaking about the long hours worked by junior doctors, Mr Cowen said he believed a significant impact had already been made on dealing with the problem. It was a complex issue which may ultimately have to be solved in the context of the EU Directive on Working Time.
Measures existed which ensured that each junior doctor is given a copy of their approved roster, that hours actually worked are monitored and there is an agreed mechanism for resolving disputes, he said.
"The working hours issue is a symptom of the way in which we were inclined to treat our young doctors. It is too easy for those doctors who went through the system in the past to forget and to ignore the deadening and dangerous effects of fatigue."
Mr Cowen said it was only right to acknowledge that the State's current economic success owed much to the good health of its people. However, while the illnesses of the past might have been effectively countered, nature seemed to dictate that new ones took their place.
These problems were not unique to Irish society. Better health care meant not only longer life expectancy but also brought with it the social, economic and medical challenges of dealing with an ageing population.
"The related question of controlling the increasing cost of health care is also being faced by developed societies. Looking across Europe one can find a series of diverse national approaches to cost containment and health-care management as each country attempts to find the answers to these crucial questions," he said.