Patient care and safety is being threatened by the Government's failure to take responsibility for health policy, Fine Gael claimed this morning.
The party's health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey said that the safety of patients was being compromised because the Fianna Fáil/PD coalition was "refusing to get involved" in the growing number of disputes within the health sector.
"The hands-off approach to health issues adopted by the Taoiseach and Minister Harney is grossly irresponsible at this time of crisis," he said.
He called on the Government to intervene urgently to bring to an end the worsening industrial action by 40,000 nurses and accused it of inaction over the failure to conclude two years' worth of talks with hospital consultants over their new contract.
"Patients are the ones suffering most from the FF/PD Government's refusal to get involved. This Government's concern for patient safety is abysmal. As things stand 29,000 people are waiting to see consultants, while 20,000 patients have had operations cancelled, and hundreds of people are still being left on trolleys," he said.
He added that despite the fact that the situation could inflict lasting damage on the health sector. "the Taoiseach refuses point blank to get involved while Minister Harney continues to hide behind the HSE."