The Labour Party has said it will scrap plans for more private hospital beds if it is returned to Government after the next election.
The Labour leader, Pat Rabbitte, said Tánaiste Mary Harney's plan to encourage the private sector to provide new beds on hospital sites around the country would be costly to the taxpayer.
Mr Rabbitte said it would also lead to higher health insurance and reinforce divisions between the public and private health systems.
On a constituency visit to East Meath, Mr Rabbitte said that, thanks to tax breaks, up to 42% of the cost of the new facilities would be paid by the taxpayer.
However, he said that the private operators would still want to make a profit which could only come from higher health insurance premia.
And he claimed there would be a migration of resources and personnel out of public medicine and into the private sector.
Mr Rabbitte said a better solution to the problems of the health service was to introduce universal health insurance.
He said this would allow money to follow the patient, and to strengthen general practice and community care to reduce pressure on Accident and Emergency departments.
