There will be no extra money for the health service this year, according to the Tánaiste, Ms Harney.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Ms Harney said there were no plans for a Supplementary Estimate this year.
Earlier, Ms Harney told the Dáil that Ireland had more nurses per capita than any other country in the developed world.
The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) in response to the Tánaiste's comments said the official figures of registered nurses only confirms that thousands of Irish Nurses are simply refusing to take up vacant nursing positions because of poor pay and conditions.
The INO also said that it is employers, who due to shortage of nurses, have had to close beds and cancel operations.
The General Secretary of the INO, Mr Liam Doran, said: "You cannot have a quality health service without nurses and midwives and until this problem is addressed we will continue to have bed closures, cancelled operations and inadequate community nursing services."
Meanwhile the INO reported that 136 patients are waiting on trolleys in Accident and Emergency hospitals throughout the country today. Yesterday there were 216 patients.