A group representing alleged abuse victims by Dr Michael Shine at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda are meeting with the Health Minister Mary Harney this evening.

Health Minister Mary Harney is set to attend an EU meeting in the coming days to evaluate the threat posed by the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico.

Alcohol was officially recognised by the Government today as a gateway drug that can lead users to other addictive substances.

THE European Commission is to take up the issue of punishing hours worked by junior hospital doctors with the Government.

FIANNA Fáil backbench TDs are being challenged at the eleventh hour to vote against “profoundly unjust” laws to bring to an end the automatic entitlement to medical cards for over-70s.

New emergency legislation has been rushed through the Dáil in a move to close a potential loophole in Ireland's mental health laws.

SPENDING on health will only increase by a small amount in the budget, Health Minister Mary Harney warned yesterday.

Health Minister Mary Harney will today unveil new guidelines for using medical testing devices at home.

The HSE is reportedly set to begin advertising around 100 jobs for new hospital consultants on revised contracts in the coming weeks.

PATIENTS are continuing to suffer and die because of continued overcrowding in hospital emergency departments (EDs) — two years after Health Minister Mary Harney described the situation as a “national emergency”.

TWO issues were at the heart of concerns raised about the mammograms taken at Portlaoise Hospital — the equipment used and the staff who used it.

The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said that it is absolutely critical the Health Minister Mary Harney takes action to resolve the dispute between pharmacists and the HSE.

PHARMACISTS who withdraw from community drug schemes on March 1 could face legal action for breach of contract.

SEVEN breast cancer charities and patient advocacy groups have united to support the State’s decision to have eight designated specialist centres.

A committee of MEPs is due to visit Ireland today to examine a number of issues that have been raised by members of the public.

IRELAND’S shambolic health service looks set to deteriorate further following the Government’s 20% cut in financial payments by independent health insurance companies to Vhi Healthcare, the State-owned group.

THE hospital which controversially withdrew from plans for a new children’s hospital is prepared to re-enter talks if health authorities agree to consider a fresh proposal from a private developer on a new site.

The Tánaiste, Michael McDowell, has told the Dáil that the O'Neill Report into the Leas Cross nursing home controversy will be published in the next couple of weeks.

Nurses have decided to hold another mass rally in Dublin next month as part of their campaign for improved pay and reduced working hours.

It is more than a year since an RTÉ Prime Time Special highlighted appalling scenes of neglect and abuse at the Leas Cross Nursing Home in Swords, County Dublin.

A FIANNA FÁIL TD last night threatened to leave the party if Health Service Executive (HSE) plans to downgrade hospital services in his constituency get Government approval.

STUDENTS beginning 5th Year, who want to study medicine, will return to school next week unaware if they can succeed without getting straight As in the 2008 Leaving Certificate.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association is calling on Health Minister Mary Harney to intervene in their contract talks with health service managers.

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte last night urged disillusioned Fianna Fáil voters to switch to their “natural home” in his party as he blasted nine years of failure by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

THE Director of Public Prosecutions is considering whether charges should be brought over the death of a man whose family blame his fall from a balcony on magic mushrooms.

EU health ministers were today expected to agree to launch a targeted public information campaign to raise awareness across Europe over bird flu and to calm fears of an imminent human pandemic.

The Health Minister Mary Harney tonight backed calls for Ireland’s remaining 15 mental hospitals to be closed down and the money from their sale ring-fenced for developing community-based mental health care.

Drinks firms and the media were today threatened with tough legislation on alcohol advertising if they fail to abide by new rules on the promotion of drink.

A controversial nursing home where a man with Down’s Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease was transferred shortly before he died was clearly not capable of caring for him, a report revealed today.

So, who’s living in the real Ireland where protocol of a kind deems a man should die rather than unravel red tape?

THE number of places for Irish students who want to become doctors looks set to more than double when the Government decides on future medical education policy in the next few weeks.

AS many as 325 family doctors and 55 pharmacists earned €240,001 or more under General Medical Services (GMS) Schemes last year.

TÁNAISTE and Health Minister Mary Harney’s decision regarding radiotherapy delivery in Ireland is momentous and is greatly welcomed in the southeast.

IT will be years before alternative medicine practitioners are subject to regulation, Fine Gael claimed yesterday.

Catherine Shanahan

THERE was an angry reaction from councillors yesterday to a Health Executive Services’ letter ruling out an ambulance for Cobh.

Specialist teams of medical experts must be drafted in to deal with the 10,000 people admitted to hospitals after attempting suicide each year, it was urged today.

Neans McSweeney