Minister restates commitment to health strategy

The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has insisted that the Government remains committed to implementing its health strategy amidst claims that the political will to find resources for its implementation may be lacking.

Speaking at the Irish Medical Organisation’s annual conference in Kilarney, the Minister said elements of the health strategy, launched in November last year, had already come on stream and said the Government remained "committed to making the necessary changes to, and investment in, our health care system in order to ensure the removal of inequalities and the provision of the highest standards of patient care."

The Minister was speaking following comments earlier today from the General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Mr David Begg, who said he was unsure about the level of political will behind the health strategy.

Mr Begg, said he did not know if there the political will existed to find the resources for the ambitious plan and said that the ICTU was also unsure that the health sector’s management had the capacity to implement radical reform as it was outlined in the strategy.

The Health Strategy, which proposes thousands of new hospital beds, major structural reform and radical measures to deal with hospital waiting lists, was launched in November and seta out an agenda for change in the health services for the next seven to 10 years.

The £10 billion, strategy promises an extra 3,000 bed places for public patients by 2011. The total amount comprises £6.1 billion for capital developments and £4 billion for current spending.