Hospital beds and hygiene top issues for public, say polls

A SHORTAGE of beds and poor hygiene standards in hospitals are the biggest problems facing the Irish health system, according to two new surveys on public attitudes.

Three out of five people (60%) believe the provision of hospital beds should be the main priority in tackling the health crisis, according to preliminary findings of the 2007 Health Index from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

Making GP services more accessible is the second- biggest priority. Nine per cent of those surveyed said they would make doctors more accessible, while a further 9% said they would provide more medical cards, if they were in charge of the health service.