The new Minister for Health, Mr Martin, will come under attack in the Dail today over the Government's record on the health services.
The Labour Party spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, has tabled a private member's motion criticising the Government for the long waiting lists and calling for the introduction of a universal health insurance system to ensure access to healthcare on the basis of need rather the ability to pay.
Ms McManus said last night what was needed was a new direction in Government policy to reverse the deterioration in the health services, and especially in the acute hospital services, to end suffering on waiting lists.
"This Government came into power 2 1/2 years ago on the back of a pledge to tackle the crisis in hospital waiting lists. Far from dealing with the problem the situation was allowed to deteriorate significantly under Minister Cowen, and public patients waiting for urgent medical procedures now have to face in many cases a wait of many months," she said.
Ms McManus said short-term and long-term action was required to deal with the problem. In the short term the Government would have to increase resources and staffing levels.
"In the longer term we need to move beyond the current two-tier system that discriminates against those who are unable to pay for private cover and condemns patients with life-threatening conditions to long periods on waiting lists simply because they are unable to pay for private care," she added.