A survey on the quality of public health across Europe shows that Ireland still has one of the worst waiting times for treatment.
The 2007 European Consumer Health Index report did say however that increased investments had produced results and placed Ireland 16th overall, ahead of the UK in a ranking of 29 countries.
The report looks at health care across Europe from a consumer's point of view on the basis that health care is increasingly cross border and should be measured for quality on behalf of European consumers across a range of criteria.
Last year's rankings, which put Ireland last, triggered a disagreement between the health consultancy which produced the report and Minister of Health Mary Harney who argued it had used old figures.
This year the report acknowledges that massive investment has started to show results, but the picture is still far from rosy.
The report states that the Health Service Executive reform 'seems to have started improving an historically dismal performance'.
But there were 'still severe waiting list problems and less than fantastic outcomes'.
Ireland is ranked mid-table alongside the UK, Malta, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Spain.
Austria was the winner with very good medical results, excellent access to healthcare and leads Europe on cancer survival rates.
Ireland performed poorly on average waiting times and the generosity of the public healthcare system, but fared well on access to new drugs.
Department 'not overly concerned'
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Children said it was 'not overly concerned' about the European Health Consumer Index report.
She said the report, which says 'no country excels across all aspects of measuring a healthcare system', was one of many reports on the health services and does not reflect the far more positive findings of the patient attitude survey published by the HSE last Friday.
The HSE report was the biggest independent survey taken on consumer satisfaction with services, including waiting times and access to GP services, and the results were far more positive.
