A report which rated Ireland 25th out of 26 European countries for healthcare was dismissed as being based on out-of-date data by Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney yesterday.
"The data used is four or five years out of date," she said.
Ms Harney insisted that waiting times for patients, something which caused Ireland to rate poorly overall, had improved since then.
"If you take waiting lists, they have effectively been cleared. The report says we have major problems with waiting lists. That's not correct. For 14 of the top 16 procedures, the waiting period is about three month.
"This report goes on to say you can't have access to your doctor on the same day. That's incorrect. The vast majority of people in this country have access to their GP on the same day and that's not the case in every other country."
The report, carried out by healthcare consultancy Health Consumer Powerhouse, looked at five areas including waiting times, medical outcomes, infant deaths and MRSA infection rates.
Only Lithuania ranked behind Ireland out of 26 countries examined, scoring 359 out of a possible 750 marks.
Dr Arne Bjornberg, who was involved in compiling the report, said the analysis had been based on WHO and OECD data. This was partly outdated but the authors of the report had asked health authorities for more up to date information and it was not supplied, he claimed.
Ms Harney said on RTÉ's News at One that no request for recent data was made to the State's health representatives in Brussels. She admitted there were challenges for the Irish system, even if improvements were taking place. "Improvements are taking place. They are slower than any of us would wish but I am driving this reform and I am determined to see it through."