Minister for Health Mary Harney has rejected a report that the Health Service Executive (HSE) is to cut 1,000 health service jobs by the end of this year.
But Ms Harney confirmed the HSE had asked all health sectors to review their employment levels with the intention of cutting posts no longer required.
Earlier a media report, based on a leaked HSE document, indicated the Department of Health was seeking cutbacks of 1,000 medical staff in hospitals and community services across the country.
The HSE also dismissed the report.
The document - dating from the end of March this year - said managerial posts such as finance, HR, communications and parliamentary affairs would remain untouched until an assessment process was undergone.
Ms Harney said the report was "totally inaccurate" as 4,800 new posts had been approved for this year.
"They show a complete lack of understanding of public service employment management and the new health service developments announced and under way this year," she said.
"By the end of this year there will be substantially more staff working in delivering frontline health care services than at the start."
Thirteen hospitals across the country were named in the document - seen by Newstalkradio - as targets for the staff cuts, along with key services for children at St Michael's House in Dublin and Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
Voluntary services at the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin and Cheeverstown House which provides services for people with an intellectual disability, would also be affected, it said.
Ms Harney said staffing numbers would be increased for services to children and families, palliative care, social inclusion, chronic disease management and cancer care.
HSE national director of human resources Martin McDonald also said there were "no plans" for any staff cuts or redundancies within the health service.
Mr McDonald said: "The HSE expects health service employment to grow by up to 5,000 during 2007 as more staff are hired to expand and improve services.
"These service developments and additional staff are fully funded within the HSE's National Service Plan for this year," he added.
Mr McDonald said: "The suggestion that there would be cutbacks or redundancies is completely untrue. In fact it's all systems go in terms of additional recruitment this year."
He said the HSE had asked "all parts of the health services to undertake a review of current employment levels with a view to identifying posts which may no longer be required due to the amalgamation and development of functions since the establishment of the HSE".
But Mr McDonald said "front line staff" - those doctors and nurses who provide a direct service to patients - were excluded from this review and would only be considered where there would be no adverse effect on the quality or availability of services.