The Government's long-awaited health reform plan has been formally unveiled with the promise that it will affect "every element of the health system".
The Minister for Health Mr Martin and the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, said in a statement the aim of the plan was to provide "an improved level of patient care for the increasing number of citizens availing of the Irish Health Service each year."
Fending off criticisms over health investment, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance drew attention to increased investment in the sector since 1997.
The Ministers said the priority was improved patient care along with better value for taxpayers. "The Government has repeatedly said that a service which accounts for over €9 billion of taxpayers' money needs fully modernised financial management practices," they said.
To this end the measures include the abolition of the health boards in a major rationalisation of existing health service agencies and the establishment of a Health Service Executive and an interim National Hospitals Office.
The Department of Health and Children will also be reorganised and a Primary, Community and Continuing Care Directorate with four regional offices and 32 local health offices to deliver regional and local non-hospital services will be set up.
The joint proposal by the Ministers for Health and Finance was endorsed without objections at a Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, held a series of briefings with Fianna Fáil and PD TDs and senators this morning on the implications of the new proposals.
These briefings were among the first acts of a major Government publicity programme to seek support for the far-reaching measures.
The three-year initiative will shift day-to-day control of the health system away from the Government and local politicians.
Last night the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, gave an implicit confirmation that the 11 health boards will be abolished under the plan. The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, described the initiative as "the most far-reaching package of reforms in a generation to our public health service".
The Eastern Regional Health Authority has sought legal advice on its proposed dissolution.
The Government is facing resistance from local politicians who will lose their seats on the health boards.
The Taoiseach defended the proposals in the Dáil this morning. "Today is an important day for the Irish health service and what today is about is trying to make sure that we can do more for our patients, that we can do more for patient care, that we can get better value for money that we put into our health service, that we can have a better management system and a more accountable system," he said.