The Tánaiste and Minister for Health insisted today the serious problem of the winter vomiting bug and the MRSA virus in Irish hospitals were being tackled as a matter of urgency.
Ms Harney spoke as one of Dublin's largest hospitals, St Vincent's, remains stricken by the bug, with over 160 staff and patients affected.
She said this morning the proposed new Health Information and Equality Authority would raise hygiene standards in the health service and stop the spread of the virus.
"It is quite incredible that we still have to operate in an environment where doctors and nurses and others working in a hospital setting have to be reminded of the importance for example of hand hygiene," she said. "One would assume it would almost be taken for granted in that setting."
The National Disease Surveillance Centre annual report for 2003 revealed over 5,000 people fell ill in the hospital sector due to the bug - with 154 outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant infection mostly found in hospitals. The bacterium is commonly found in the intestinal tract during or after a course of antibiotics, and causes several million cases of diarrhoea and colitis around the world each year.
It has been cited as a contributory factor in the deaths of six patients at the Mater Hospital in the past year.
Ms Harney told the Dáil last week people who contracted MRSA died mainly "because of the underlying causes connected to the original illness which led to their being in a hospital environment".
The Tánaiste said that legislation to establish the new Health Service Executive will be brought before the Dáil on Thursday.
She reiterated that the executive will come into play on January 1st of next year. However, IMPACT, one of the state's three big health unions has warned it is planning industrial action to block it.