Martin must deliver on promises

A THREE-HOUR long Dáil debate on what has been billed as the most fundamental reform of the health service is hardly sufficient to deal with the serious issues at stake.

At this stage, it is a matter of opinion as to whether the elaborate proposals outlined a week ago by the Minister for Health, Mícheál Martin, are a placebo or a realistic approach to what is an exceptionally unsatisfactory service.

Under the reform proposals, health boards are to be abolished and replaced with a central health executive and four regional offices, and a national hospitals agency will run the country’s hospitals.