Fine Gael has called for the introduction of an independent surgeon general following a report revealing inequalities in health based on socio-economic grouping.
"Patients need the independent support of a surgeon general to rescue the health services from vested interests, including political vested interest," the party's health spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, said.
The new office would work directly with the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children rather than for the government of the day, ensuring independent support for patients, according to Mr Mitchell.
A new report, Inequalities in Health in Ireland - The Hard Facts,the product of research from the Department of Community Health and General Practice at Trinity College Dublin, has revealed unskilled male workers are more than twice as likely to die prematurely and eight times as likely to die from preventable accidents.
SIPTU has also responded to the report, calling for improved health standards in the workplace.
Spokesman for Health and Safety Mr Sylvester Cronin today expressed his concern for those in the construction and manufacturing industries, where he said there was a concentration of people from lower socio-economic groups.
"As people spend a substantial part of their lives at work, a lot could be done with improved health services within the workplace," he said.