Harney rejects 400 closed beds claim

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has disputed a claim made by a new patients' lobby group that the Government has closed 400 hospital beds.

Patients Together have called for the beds to be reopened as a first step towards alleviating the accident and emergency crisis.

Ms Harney insisted that since the Government came into office in 1997, the average number of beds available in publicly-funded hospitals had increased to over 900, a figure that includes in-patient and day beds.