Bairbre de Brun: "Department needs money"

But she added: "I think people deserve a realistic picture of what the level of need is. Given the worse health status here and given the higher level of need here, we should be spending more than other people, but are not."

Ms de Brun's announcement came after Department of Health figures published earlier this month showed the province had the longest waiting lists in the UK.

Ms de Brun said waiting lists now totalled almost 50,000 - the equivalent of 28 per 1,000 people in the province compared to 16 per 1,000 people in Scotland.

The minister said less money was spent, per head, on health in Northern Ireland compared to Scotland and Wales.

"Over the last seven years NHS expenditure per head of population here grew by 35%, in constrast to 51% in Scotland, 57% in England and 78% in Wales.

"And we are spending significantly less than the EU average in terms of public healthcare."

"Over the last seven years NHS expenditure per head of population here grew by 35%, in constrast to 51% in Scotland, 57% in England and 78% in Wales."

Ms de Brun said she realised that her department's bid would have to be considered along with the other Northern Ireland Executive's other priorities.

But she said it had to be considered in the context of the "worrying deficiencies in existing services and the poor health status of the population".

"These problems are, in my view, a direct consequence of serious under investment in health and social services here over a number of years," she added.

Waits on trollies

The minister also said there was "a need to build the capacity to deal with winter pressures, a need to radically improve cancer services, and also a need to increase intensive care bed provision."

Earlier this month, it was revealed that the province's hospitals were facing a major shortage of beds.

Figures from the Eastern Health and Social Services Council showed that hundreds of patients admitted to hospital had to wait more than 17 hours on trollies.

The hospitals worst affected in the east of the province were the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald near Belfast, the Mater in Belfast and the Lagan Valley in Lisburn, County Antrim.