The Government has failed in the Budget to allocate funds necessary to implement the National Health Strategy, the Primary Care Strategy and other health reform recommendations, according to the Irish Medical Organisation.
Dr. Joe Barry, president of the IMO said: "The commitment to implement the health service reforms must be questioned when no ring fenced funding has ever been allocated."
He also expressed disappointment at the Minister for Finance's decision to increase the price of a packet of cigarettes by just 25 cent and the failure to raise excise tax on alcohol.
"Respiratory disease cost the Irish health service 316.8 million euro in 2001. International research shows that price is a major factor in assisting smokers to quit and more especially
encouraging young people not to start smoking. It is a lost opportunity."
On alcohol, Dr Barry said the modest rises in the last two budgets had a positive effect on lowering consumption patterns and it was "a pity that Minister McCreevy bottled it on this occasion".
The IMO also said the Government's commitment to increase the number of people on low incomes eligible for a medical card under the National Health Strategy had not been honoured.
Fine Gael's health spokeswoman Ms Olivia Mitchell said there was "not a single provision" in the Budget to address the "spiraling crisis" in the health service.
"Today's Budget makes it very clear what the Government's priorities aren't," she said. "Access to healthcare has been reduced for people on low incomes thanks to Minister McCreevy. It is ironic that the pathetic €10 increase in social welfare benefit will actually push even more people out of the medical card scheme, which has already dropped by over 30,000 people in the last two years."
Labour Party health spokeswoman Ms Liz McManus said it was "deeply disturbing" that Mr McCreevy had "yet again refused to address the terrible injustice of the current miserable level of medical card eligibility for people on low incomes in this year's budget".
"It is also worth noting that not one cent has been allocated to the hospital and general health service. Minister McCreevy in his wisdom has decided that our overcrowded, understaffed and overstretched hospitals and health service is already adequately funded. It is obvious that he has not had to wait for hours on end, maybe even days on a trolley in some drafty hospital corridor."
"At the current rate, it will take the Government 30 years to reduce the hospital waiting lists. This is despite its commitments before the last general election to reduce the figures within two years. If the Government were serious about really tackling hospital waiting lists, resources would have
been allocated in the budget." Ms McManus added that no funding was provided for the implementation of the Hanly report.