The Taoiseach last night insisted that local hospitals will remain strong and regional health services will be transformed by the Government's health reform programme.
As Fianna Fáil seeks to neutralise possible hospital candidates in June's local government elections, Mr Ahern took the unusual step of devoting his entire opening address of the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis to the health issue last night.
Local hospitals would retain 24-hour medical cover, he maintained, and regional hospitals would get more specialised services. He conceded, however, that this would not necessarily involve A&E cover as demanded by hospital action groups.
Coming a day after the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, announced substantial concessions to those seeking to sell sites or build one-off houses in the countryside, Mr Ahern's speech signalled the start of a major effort to minimise electoral losses in June.
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is today expected to trumpet the benefits of his decentralisation plans, which the party also sees as a vote-winner in many areas.
The Taoiseach last night retained his strongest words for hospital consultants, who he said should immediately return to negotiations over a new consultants' contract.
The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) walked out of the talks last month, giving the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, four weeks to resolve a dispute over insurance of hospital doctors against malpractice claims.
Mr Ahern said a new consultants' contract was essential for the Government's health reforms to work.
It would lead to the doubling of consultant numbers, ensuring senior doctors were available on a 24-hour basis; reducing the workload on junior doctors and ensuring hospitals would operate throughout the week.
Speaking in Dublin's CityWest hotel he said: "This is essential for reform. It is now time for the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association to return to the table and to engage in these essential contract negotiations."
He said the issues in the negotiations were tough but they had been on the table for a long time. "They have been studied time and again through fully inclusive and non-political groups. The time for action has come. For the sake of patients let us get it done and move on."
When asked by reporters if the "24-hour medical cover" promised would involve A&E cover the Taoiseach said: "As long as there are doctors on duty then people can be dealt with."
He conceded that not all hospitals would have 24-hour A&E cover but "the important thing in hospitals is that you have medical cover . . . whatever form that takes".
Meanwhile, Mr Martin will today outline the benefits he believes the Hanly reforms will bring to rural communities.
The Taoiseach said that regional hospitals would now have new opportunities.
"For far too long nearly all major developments were concentrated in Dublin. Now we have started to turn that around."
He listed as examples the developments in cardiology and radiotherapy in Galway, the new oncology unit in Limerick and other new facilities in Cork University Hospital, Kilkenny, Waterford, Mayo and Tullamore.
The IHCA secretary general, Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, said the Taoiseach's comments were "unhelpful" at this time bearing in mind the sensitive negotiations taking place regarding the new method of insuring consultants.
The new scheme, called enterprise liability, does not cover the consultants for historic liabilities but talks are now taking place between the Department of Health and the consultants' former insurer the Medical Defence Union to resolve this issue.
The IHCA last month postponed planned industrial action which would have reduced hospitals to providing emergency services only while the talks proceed.
And they have refused to enter talks on a new contract until their concerns about the new scheme are addressed.
Mr Fitzpatrick said when the reasons for the IHCA's withdrawal from the contract negotiations have been resolved the IHCA will be pleased to consider the Taoiseach's request to return to the negotiating table.