Pair pull out of consultants' contract talks
Two medical organisations have withdrawn from talks due to take place today with health service bosses to negotiate a new contract for hospital consultants.
The Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) have withdrawn from discussions in a dispute over the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to stop appointments which would allow consultants to carry out private work in another hospital.
Gerard Barry, chief executive of the HSE Employers Agency, said: “A new consultants’ contract is a central part of the reform agenda.
“We tabled a proposal some months ago to the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association and the IMO for a dedicated public hospital consultants’ contract. That is a contract that would involve consultants dedicating themselves to working exclusively in a public hospital.”
Mr Barry said the HSE Board decided on January 13 to stop making category two appointments.
“That is a consultant who gets a salary for working in a public hospital, has a right to private practice in a public hospital, but also can be working in a private hospital at the same time.
“It is an arrangement that cannot continue. It is a major contributory factor to the problems we have in our hospital services and the reform of this contract is pivotal to the whole reform in general,” he said.
Donal Duffy, assistant secretary general of the IHCA, said consultants have been anxious to hold talks since 1999.
“There is a pattern of behaviour on behalf of the Government for stalling the talks,” he told RTE Radio. “We are available to talk about flexibility.”
