Two opposition parties yesterday accused Fianna Fáil of reneging on its duty to deliver proper cancer services.
The Fine Gael deputy spokesperson on health, Brian Hayes TD, called for all investigations into Barringtons' Hospital to be conducted swiftly so that meaningful action could be taken in the provision of reliable services.
What is needed, he said, were properly funded, comprehensive, integrated cancer screening and treatment programmes that people could trust.
"It is vital that comprehensive safety measures are put in place to require all hospitals to meet the same high standards, and that all patients are protected equally, regardless of whether they are public or private."
He said Fianna Fáil had failed to deliver reliable cancer services. This had resulted in hundreds of women facing the trauma of having to have their cases reassessed.
"Being diagnosed with any type of cancer, at any stage, is an enormously distressing and frightening experience. Now, hundreds of women are left wondering if they have to go through it all again."
The Labour Party health spokeswoman, Liz McManus, called on the Government to establish a national Patient Safety Authority.
She said at present there was no proper regulatory framework for hospitals, and especially there were no controls at all over private hospitals.
"This matter highlights the dangers attached to the reckless promotion by the Minister of private hospitals without providing proper safeguards for the protection of patients. Hundreds of women are now suffering severe anxiety as a result of this failure to protect them."
Ms McManus accused the Government of failing "spectacularly" in making any real progress with the cancer strategy which would provide for centres of excellence where multi-discipline care would be provided for cancer patients. It would also provide for high-quality screening.
Ms McManus added: "The most worrying aspect of this scandal is that a senior consultant oncologist in Mid-Western Regional Hospital had complained to the department and the HSE about problems in Barringtons' about three years ago, but little if any action seems to have been taken in the meantime."
Meanwhile, the chair of the Green Party in Limerick, Trish Forde-Brennan, called for urgent steps to restore confidence in healthcare services in the mid-west.
She said her heart went out to the women who have been affected by potentially inadequate care at Barringtons' Hospital, and said she hoped every support was made available to them.