Fine Gael today outlined a three-part health plan to enable more citizen participation in the health services.
Fine Gael health spokesman Mr Gay Mitchell proposed the creation of a Covenant of Rights and Responsibilities, a Health Ombudsman and a Surgeon General.
He said the Covenant of Rights and Responsibilities, signed by patient and doctor, would outline the rights of patients and their doctors, creating greater transparency.
The Health Ombudsman would oversee this contract and allow patients recourse to independent information and adjudication of practice procedure.
The Surgeon General would report directly to the Dáil to ensure health services remain independent of political, bureaucratic or medical interests.
Mr Mitchell said: "Too often the public find it difficult to vindicate their rights and in the crucial area of healthcare, dealing as it does with people at their most vulnerable, it should be straightforward."
He said he believed a Health Ombudsman would help make this possible.