Fine Gael would appoint an ombudsman for health if elected to Government, the party's ardfheis has been told.
It also proposes the appointment of a minister of state for public health, a surgeon general, and the introduction of a home subvention payment to help support the care of older people who wish to remain at home.
The party's spokeswoman, Ms Olivia Mitchell, in a sharp attack on the Government's health policy, said it had increased health spending to €11 billion, which was 25 per cent of total current Government spending, and it employed 100,000 people in the service, yet still achieved a situation "where everyone is unhappy with the service".
She said that the possible reduction of A&E services from 40 hospitals to 12 is "utterly ludicrous". She warned that "after eight years in Government, their one and only health reform will have been to abolish the only element of accountability" in the system, by abolishing the local membership of health boards.
Her party's policy understood that "we need to stop merely spending on health and to begin to invest in it".
But "the real shift in public health policy under Fine Gael will be at tackling the fundamental determinants of good health: nutrition, diet and exercise. These are lifestyle issues which transcend the Department of Health and which require a cross-departmental commitment.
"Fine Gael in Government will appoint a junior minister with cross-departmental responsibility to ensure that departments work together in an integrated way to support individuals and families to enjoy healthy lifestyles and to bring about the kind of cultural climate change where good health practices can be fostered and can flourish."
The party backed the motion for the appointment of a "Junior Minister for a Healthy Population" made by Ms Ellen Cogavin from the Dunboyne branch, who said that the overall objective of the position would be "keeping people healthy and out of hospital".
Mr Peter O'Neill from Dublin South Central said that carers should be given "payment for care, not a social welfare payment". Calling for Fine Gael to give carers the "recognition they deserve for providing a vital and worthwhile service to the State", he said that there were 120,000 carers and they saved the State €2 billion annually.
Mr John Ryan from Bray, Co Wicklow, criticised the means test as the sole criterion for payment for carers, which was a maximum of €120 a week. For carers and those they look after, "we can't take away their pain", but while "Fianna Fáil and the PDs couldn't care less, we care more".
