The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) will meet Minister for Health Simon Harris TD on Friday to discuss the Government’s proposals on a new consultant contract.

“If you want to do your private practice — no problem at all. But if you are a new consultant you may only do it in a private health facility,” said the minister.

The proposed salary of €250,000 for consultants working in public hospitals “won’t entice people home to a system that is falling apart,” the vice president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association has said.

Planned strike action in the new year by consultants is to go ahead, despite a move by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to offer them up to €250,000-a-year public- only contracts.

Consultants have slapped down an offer from the Government to improve their pay by demanding better conditions and restoration of wages across the board.

Members of the Irish Medical Organisation have voted unanimously in favour of holding a ballot for industrial action.

The Government has been given three weeks to sort out the consultant recruitment crisis - or face potential strike action.

Hospital consultants say six key Government health plans are under threat if more senior doctors are not hired.

Ireland's 'blame culture' is contributing to the shortage of consultants according to the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Hospital consultants will be balloted for strike action in September unless talks take place to address the "crisis" in consultant recruitment.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is hitting out at the government over the latest waiting-list figures.

New figures confirm the “catastrophic consultant” shortage, the Irish Medical Organisation has claimed.

The Taoiseach has said holding an investigation into claims by consultants that dead bodies were left decomposing on a mortuary corridor at University Hospital Waterford is not one of his priorities.

The Government's response to claims about the state of University Hospital Waterford's mortuary has been described as "alarming" by a group representing over 90% of hospital consultants.

A pay discrepancy among doctors is up for discussion at today's Irish Medical Organisation AGM.

As many as 90% of hospital consultants believe their current workload is unmanageable while 60% believe that their patients’ care is suffering as a result.

Fianna Fáil's Health spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, has called on the Government to sign on the dotted line and bring our doctors home.

A report has recommended that public health doctors be awarded the same status as hospital consultants and their remuneration be made more attractive.

Hospital consultants are threatening industrial action in a row over pay for those hired since 2012.

Almost 350 hospital consultant posts are vacant throughout the country, new figures show.

An on-call consultant paid more than €14,000 for one week’s work at Cork University Hospital, and a €25,000 monthly payment for radiology services at Bantry General Hospital where the contract was awarded with no tender process, are among the shortcomings highlighted in a series of HSE internal audit reports.

An on-call consultant paid more than €14,000 for one week’s work at Cork University Hospital, and a €25,000 monthly payment for radiology services at Bantry General Hospital where the contract was awarded with no tender process, are among the shortcomings highlighted in a series of HSE internal audit reports.

The Government’s €200m back-dated salary deal with thousands of hospital consultants will not have any knock-on benefits for lower paid public servants, a senior minister has claimed.

It not possible to see yesterday’s announcement that hospital consultants will get pay rises of up to €72,000 in any context other than this week’s announcement of record numbers of public patients on waiting lists.

The €200m-plus bill the taxpayer must pay in order to end the decade-long salary stand-off with hospital consultants could rise even further after Government did not rule out more doctors making claims against the State.

The government has been accused of playing fast and loose with the constitution after revelations private investigators were hired to spy on hospital consultants.

The National Children’s Hospital has been hit by a new row over rosters for consultants.

Hospital consultants say they want a clear signal of more investment in the system when the Health Minister addresses their conference this morning.

Patient's safety has to come first - that's the message from the Irish Patients Association reacting to the number of non-specialist doctors working as consultants.

Over €4.6m was spent by Cork County Council employing outside consultants last year, with more than half of that going on hiring experts to plan new roads.

Fianna Fail is calling for the Public Accounts Committee to investigate the government's spending on external consultancy reports.

The Department of Finance’s spend on consultants last year topped €1.898m.

Nearly one fifth of consultant posts in the country’s hospitals are vacant or being covered by locums, temporary employees, or part-time staff.