Harney to stay on as Minister for some time

Health Minister Mary Harney has indicated that she would like to continue as Health Minister for the remainder of the current Dail term.

She told the Today with Pat Kenny radio show that she loved the job of Health Minister.

Ms Harney has already been Minister for nearly five-and-a-half years and is the second longest serving Health Minister. She has now indicated that she may stay on for another two years at least.

"I love the challenge. I am totally focused on continuing to reform the health service."

She said the health ministry was not a job you took on if you wanted people to love you.

Asked about a future reshuffle, she said it was ultimately the decision of the Taoiseach on who should be in the Government.

The Minister also did not rule out standing again at the next election. She said she had never stated that she was not running for the Dail again.

Asked about the continuing pressure on hospital emergency departments, she claimed there had been a "huge, huge improvement" in A&Es, but there were " a few blips"

The Minister said the problems were confined to six or seven hospitals and these were being reviewed on a detailed basis by the HSE.

She said the number of delayed discharge patients in hospitals should decrease once the Fair Deal nursing home care funding scheme rolls out.

Referring to the agreement she has reached with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price of drugs by 40%, the Minister said we had not been getting value for money on drug prices.

Ms Harney said she was hopeful that some of the hospital co-location projects would advance later this year.

See also 'Patients facing day-long ED wait'

[Posted: Wed 03/02/2010]