TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has staunchly defended Minister for Health Mary Harney against Opposition criticism of her role and has signalled a continuation of the hospital co-location programme, despite questions about funding.
Mr Cowen told the Dáil that Ms Harney “has an excellent record as Minister for Health and has been opposed every step of the way by the Opposition in respect of any reform she has brought to the health service”.
He also insisted amid persistent Opposition heckling that “significant progress has been made” in the co-location programme.
As speculation continued about Ms Harney’s future in office in the wake of the demise of the Progressive Democrats, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore asked how long she would continue in office.
Mr Gilmore said he respected Ms Harney’s integrity and ability, but she had not been a success in the job. “She was responsible for the establishment of the HSE to reform the health service. That has not worked. She presided over the Ppars (computer system) fiasco. She was supposed to produce 200,000 additional medical cards and instead she has removed automatic entitlement to the medical card from pensioners.”
Pointing to the Opposition, Mr Cowen responded that Ms Harney “has been opposed day in, day out by those who want to protect the status quo, and that’s you”.
He listed a number of developments, including a radically new consultants’ contract, the new cancer control programme, and improved AE services, and said “means tests for medical cards have been made much easier”. Nurse-prescribing had been introduced and regulation of the medical profession modernised.
Mr Gilmore said: “I take it from the Taoiseach’s forceful reply that the Minister for Health is staying in office.”
He asked whether hospital co-location would continue, referring to remarks by Minister of State John McGuinness.
Mr Gilmore said the Minister “let the cat out of the bag when he said there were some issues regarding funding from the banks and the provision of co-located hospitals is in doubt”.
Mr Gilmore said the problems of bed shortages in our hospitals were increasing again, adding that the Minister’s big idea for providing hospital beds was to turn hospitals into businesses and have them provided by the private sector through co-location. Three years after the announcement “we have none of the co-located hospitals, no additional bed, not a single brick laid on brick.”
