Harney accuses IMO of making inaccurate A&E claims

Minister for Health Mary Harney has accused doctors of making inaccurate claims about the ongoing A&E crisis.

The issue is at the top of the agenda at the Irish Medical Organisation's annual conference today.

The organisation is at loggerheads with the Government over the cause of the problem.

The IMO says a lack of bed capacity is the main reason why hundreds of people are forced to wait on trolleys in A&E units every day.

However, the Government and the Health Service Executive both insist that there are sufficient beds in the Irish hospital system and want the crisis tackled by improving efficiency.

Speaking in Dublin today, Ms Harney said the IMO's claims about a lack of capacity were "completely inaccurate".

"We have trebled spending on healthcare in Ireland over the last eight years," she said. "We've employed 40,000 more people and yet we have major inefficiencies.

"Unless we accompany investment with reform, we're not going to solve the problems in our healthcare system."