Opposition TDs should read the Hanly report on medical staffing before commenting on it, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said in sharp defence of the report's radical recommendations.
The opposition parties were highly critical of the document, published on Wednesday after a four-month delay.
The report's recommendations include the elimination of accident and emergency departments, as well as obstetric services, from a number of local hospitals.
Attempts by Sinn Féin TD Mr Arthur Morgan (Louth) and Labour's Ms Liz McManus to have the Dáil adjourned for an immediate debate on the "catastrophic" implications of the report for local hospitals were ruled out of order.
The debate on Hanly will instead take place in November. The Cabinet has accepted the report and Ms Harney said no legislation was required specifically in relation to the report.
However, the Government's overall health reform agenda would require legislation, which was being prepared for early next year.
She told the Dáil that "before even reading the report, the deputies opposite seem to have pinned their colours to the mast".
"I always read documents before I decided I was against them," she added.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the report "bears a remarkable similarity to the draft reports that have been circulating for some months".
Working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors have to be curtailed by August next year in line with an EU directive and Fine Gael's finance spokesman, Mr Richard Bruton, pointed out that was the equivalent of a loss of 1,600 junior hospital doctors. No budget had been made available for this, he said. The report recommends that instead of appointing more doctors to overcome this, a further 2,000 hospital consultants should be appointed.
"Having employed 30,000 extra people in the health service over the last five years, why has the Government not addressed any of the serious staffing issues relating to the EU directive about which she knew since the mid-1990s," Mr Bruton asked.
This was legislation for which the Tánaiste had responsibility and on which she had to report back to the EU on the action to implement the directive.
Ms Harney replied that, "if orders or statutory instruments are required for any aspect of this, they will obviously come before the House".
The Dáil will adjourn for a week before Halloween.
Ms McManus said the House should sit that week to debate the report, and that of the National Cancer Registry and "to begin to deal with the backlog of 111 pieces of promised legislation".
