Stormont Health Committee member Mr McCarthy was speaking in the wake of Health Minister Simon Hamilton announcing a financial package of £47.6 million designed to tackle waiting times, additional assessments and operations, among a range of other problems.
However, Mr McCarthy warned more needed done to ease the burden facing the health service.
“This is a welcome move and will go some way towards helping lessen pressures we have heard a lot about lately while the DUP carried out their ‘in-out’ Ministerial policy in the Department of Health and other areas.
“But earlier this year, the Health Committee stated publicly around £89 million was needed to totally remove those pressures. This amount is still far from that and effectively is just tinkering around the edges while waiting lists continue to grow.
“Major reforms are needed to make the health service more effective and sustainable, and this financial package will not properly fix the fundamental problems which remain.”