Consultant’s insurance dispute ‘must be resolved’

THE head of the National Treatment Purchase Fund has urged an end to the hospital consultants dispute which threatens to block the only escape route long-suffering public patients have from excessive hospital waiting lists.

More than 1,500 consultants represented by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) are to withdraw co-operation from the treatment purchase scheme from next Monday as part of their schedule of escalating industrial action.

A further 650 colleagues who are members of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) are also considering blanking the scheme as part of the same dispute with the Department of Health. The dispute centres on changes to consultants’ insurance cover.