The Tánaiste and Minister for Health has officially published the new Health Bill which will formally establish new structures to run the State's health services. It was approved by the Cabinet earlier this week.
The Health Bill 2004, published today, provides for the establishment of the Health Service Executive on a statutory basis from January 1 stand also abolishes the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the other health boards.
The Bill also makes provision for a statutory framework for complaints procedures in the health service.
Ms Harney said the key to the Bill was "clarity of roles and clarity of responsibility".
"The Minister for Health and Children will retain clear political responsibility for our health services," she said.
"The Health Service Executive will manage the operations of our health services, bringing together the current roles of the health boards/ERHA and many agencies.
"The Department of Health and Children will be responsible for supporting the Minister and the Government in all policy matters.
"Most of all, the people will have clarity now about who is in charge of policy and who is in charge of the management of health services."
The Health Service Executive will manage and deliver health services on a national basis as a single unified system and will replace the health board structure which has been in place since 1970.
Ms Harney said: 'The basis of this part of the Government's Health Reform Programme is to bring together and modernise our health services management structures. They are designed to achieve a health service that places the patient at the centre, and ensures that all patients receive the same high quality service based on need.'
'A single management and delivery structure will also mean the implementation of best practices nationwide for people. The Prospectus Report found that the current system was highly fragmented thereby creating uncertainty among patients as to who was responsible for delivering the service'.
The minister conceded earlier this week that there was only a short time left for the Bill to be passed through both houses of the Oireachtas if the HSE was to be running in January.
However, she said that with "goodwill on all sides" there could certainly be a very good debate in the Oireachtas.
Ms Harney revealed certain planned elements had been taken out of the Bill so as to speed its passage through the Dáil and Seanad.
"Some aspects of the legislation to do with information and quality I've taken out of the Bill and I'm going to deal with that by way of a separate Bill in the early part of next year in order to facilitate the early passage of this particular legislation to facilitate the establishment of the HSE," she said.
Ms Harney said that while the decision of Prof Aidan Halligan not to accept the post of chief executive of the new HSE at the last minute was a set back, it was not "a fatal blow".