Health Minister hits back over waiting lists: 'I find it difficult to take lectures from a party that reduced the number of hospital beds'

Health Minister Simon Harris has denied he is failing to meet his own hospital waiting list targets after it emerged almost 1m people are waiting for vital treatment and services because of serious logjams in the system.

Mr Harris, at the launch of the Sláintecare report, rejected Fianna Fáil claims he is “failing” to do his job. The opposition party demanded he set up a national waiting lists centre to end the years of patient delays.