Fitzgerald: Health Minister added constituency healthcare centres 'for very good reasons'

on 24/09/2012 12:43:06

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has today backed Health Minister James Reilly as controversy continues over him adding two locations in his constituency to a list for primary care centres.

Minister Reilly is facing calls from the Opposition for a statement, and Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has admitted it looks like "stroke politics".

Frances Fitzgerald said that the only issue for Minister Reilly is to get on with building the centres.

"Minister Reilly made a decision to extend the list to 35 for very good reasons," said Minister Fitzgerald.

"Because he wants to deliver primary care centres and that's where the focus needs to be now.

"We have to deliver primary care centres if we want to move away from the huge dependence on very expensive hospitals.

"We have to develop our primary care system, I believe where the focus needs to be now and that's what both Ministers want to deliver and that's where the focus has to be."