The Health Minister James Reilly is going to have to be courageous in the face of Ireland's obesity problem, according to a weight management expert.

Bigger hospitals offer better outcomes to patients brought in for urgent care out of main working hours, a consultant doctor has said.

Health Minister Mary Harney has insisted that efforts are underway to hire a microbiologist at St Colmcille's Hospital in south Co Dublin.

The Dublin County Coroner is reportedly calling for urgent action to prevent further superbug related deaths at a hospital in south Co Dublin.