Ahern hammered in Dáil over health service

Opposition parties in the Dáil have described the health service as a "national embarrassment" and accused the Taoiseach of "failing completely" to deal with the issue.

Labour and Fine Gael said while the Government "boasted" of budget surpluses new hospital facilities across the State remain closed because they were being denied essential funds.

Mr Ahern faced severe criticism in the Dail today

Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny said the Minister for Health and the health service were being "strangled" by the Department of Finance and the Government.

Mr Kenny said new hospital wards in Dublin, Mullingar, Tipperary, Cork, Offaly and Wexford worth €416 million were "lying idle" while people were being denied essential care.

He asked Mr Ahern was he not "ashamed" of presiding over a Government that has failed to deal with the "fundamental right" of access to adequate healthcare.

The Fine Gael leader said seven years after taking office Mr Ahern was still "spouting out endless lists of money spent when the evidence is available in every household in the land that this Government has been the worst in 50 years and has failed to deal with the health issue".

Mr Ahern said the units referred to by Mr Kenny were built by this Government and would be opened by this Government.

He dismissed Mr Kenny's criticism saying under his Government there were 30,000 extra staff working in the health service.

"We have put in massive funding, good units, good services and we are going to continue to do that," he said.

Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said the health service was a "disgrace" and accused Mr Ahern of having "lost touch with reality".

Mr Rabbitte quoted the Irish Medical Oganisation (IMO) who described the Working Time Directive as "unsafe, unworkable and in some cases reckless".

The directive which will limit the hours which doctors can work to 58 hours in a full week or 13 hours each day is due to be implemented next month.

The Taoiseach described the IMO's insistence that their members could only be rostered on a nine-to-five basis as "baloney".