Fine Gael today hit out at what it called the Government’s inaction over health.
Speaking after party’s front bench meeting in Clonmel, Mr Michael Noonan said Government inaction has set the development of the health service back by 10 years.
"It takes at least five years to put into place even the most basic reforms in the health services. The fact that this Government has wasted four years tinkering around the edges means that both patients and medical and nursing staff will have to wait at least another decade before they have the health service they deserve," he said.
According to the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, health is set to dominate the next general election campaign, with two thirds of the electorate seeing it as one of the three most important issues.
Looking ahead to the Tipperary South by-election on Saturday June 30th, Mr Noonan said: "This by-election is in effect a referendum. It is an opportunity to express satisfaction or otherwise with the Government’s management of our country’s most precious natural resource - health."