Labour has accused the Minister for Health of making "fraudulent claims" that health strategy targets are being met, and of "massaging the figures".
The party's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the target was that by the end of 2002, no adult would be waiting more than 12 months. "We know from today's figures that 20 per cent of patients, around 6,000 people, are still waiting over 12 months and others are waiting even longer."
During a Labour party private members' debate on the Government's commitment to permanently end waiting lists within two years, Ms McManus accused the Minister of "spinning" the figures he released yesterday afternoon to show waiting lists had reduced.
She said the figures for September 2003 were 27,212 and those published yesterday for the end of December 2003 showed an increase to 27,318, but 4,500 had been removed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund and this figure was "not explained in any coherent fashion".
But the Minister, Mr Martin, rejected her claims. "I know it is disappointing for you," he said. "This is not a spin."
The NTPF had reported that waiting times had fallen significantly in the past year, with 37 per cent of patients waiting between three and six months and 43 per cent waiting between six and 12 months for surgery. "Therefore 80 per cent of patients now wait less than one year for surgical treatment," he said. Spending on health had increased by 188 per cent. The Government had set out a challenging programme of reform, of which the Hanly report was just one vital element.
"We are now set forth on implementing the most comprehensive reform programme in the recent history of Irish healthcare."
His colleague, the Minister of State for Health, Mr Tim O'Malley, said the Government had done more than any other in the history of the State to reduce waiting lists, and had taken on the "vested interests".
However, Ms McManus said that "in an attempt to disguise the extent of their failure, the Government has now handed responsibility on the issue to the National Treatment Purchase Fund. It in turn has invented a new validation system, which essentially is a comparison of the actual waiting list numbers and those presenting for National Purchase Fund treatment."
She said the Minister "is confronted by an increasing number of patients on the hospital waiting lists and his response has been to manipulate the figures and yet again make false claims". She said the Government was now "so steeped in cynicism" that it was again planning "to turn on the money tap and again it is for electoral advantage".
Ms Olivia Mitchell, Fine Gael's health spokeswoman, said: "The waiting list is down to 22,000 and that's your big boast." She said there were 27,000 people on the list yesterday morning and the figure was down more than 4,500 by lunchtime, and the Government response was that they were not suitable or no longer required the treatment was so "miraculous" that the Minister should produce the "relics".
She said that the most distressing list was the list of increased morbidity of people who died waiting to see a consultant in the first place.
