A war of words has erupted between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over how the main Opposition party will fund its promised 2,300 new acute hospital beds in the lifetime of the next government.
Fianna Fáil deputy leader Brian Cowen yesterday challenged Fine Gael to outline exactly what health services promised in the National Development Plan (NDP) would go in order to pay for the promised new beds.
In the leaders' debate on RTÉ on Thursday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny told the Taoiseach the 2,300 beds would be funded from a "reprioritisation" of the €2.4 billion set side in the NDP for health service development.
However, Mr Cowen said yesterday that if Fine Gael reprioritised to provide the extra beds, there would have to be cuts in planned development of children's, oncology, diabetes and cystic fibrosis services.
"Extra beds cost extra money and we've shown our commitment and they've shown their cynicism," he charged.
While Fine Gael didn't say at the party's daily election briefing what would be sacrificed, Enda Kenny claimed the Taoiseach and his Government had "thrown in the towel" on a health service that was in crisis.
"Two weeks ago the Taoiseach said people should be congratulating him on the health service and last night he refused to accept that it was in crisis.
"How can they fix a problem they don't realise exists?" he said, canvassing in Donegal.
Asked to clarify the priority of funding from the €2.4 billion, the party's frontbench spokesman, Denis Naughten, said extra beds and additional cancer services could both be achieved under the NDP spending "by ensuring that there is proper delivery of investment in the health service".
He said "200 extra beds were found for Cork at a cost of €70 million" which he said indicated that the 2,300 beds could be delivered "within the financial envelope of the €2.4 billiowhich was left aside in the National Development Plan for Health".
Pressed if the new children's hospital and the new Mater hospital as well as the extension of acute services had not already been prioritised for funding from the €2.4 billion, Mr Naughten said the priority was "beds, and after that other priorities".
Mr Cowen said yesterday the €2.4 billion set aside for health in the NDP allowed for 500 new hospital beds and the new children's hospital. He said on top of that money had been allocated in the party's economic policy for an additional 500 beds, bringing the total to 1,000.
Meanwhile Mr Cowen said the Taoiseach had "forensically dismantled" the entire strategy of the alternative government in the leaders' debate.
He said Bertie Ahern demonstrated that he is "by far the best equipped" of the two men to be the next taoiseach and accused Mr Kenny of being capable of "five flip-flops a week".
He did not accept that Fianna Fáil had had an unlucky campaign to date and said the party was now "moving forward" with the issues being dealt with.