Patients want contingency plan for insurance row

PATIENTS’ representatives have called for plans to avoid preventable deaths when services are withdrawn in an insurance row.

A statement last night from the Irish Patients’ Association (IPA) called on the Department of Health and consultants to draw up emergency plans and to have them scrutinised by “independent foreign experts to ensure that preventable deaths and injures do not occur as a result of this commercial dispute”.

Health Minister Micheál Martin has already warned that consultants will jeopardise the care of patients if they withdraw services.

Upping the ante in a row over the introduction of a new insurance scheme, the minister accused consultants of holding patients to ransom in their efforts to force the department’s hand.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” he said. “If they put back surgery under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), they are hurting public patients who have been waiting longest for treatment. If they don’t do elective surgery, they are threatening patient care.”

Consultants warned they will refuse to perform any procedures or referrals for patients under the NTPF from February 16 if the Department of Health does not negotiate a deal to cover consultants in private practice against negligence claims. A new enterprise liability scheme, imposed unilaterally on February 1, will not cover private consultants against claims which arise in the future but occurred before February 1.

Consultants have also warned all non-emergency surgery and outpatients clinics will be cancelled for both public and private patients from February 23.

Yesterday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern rowed in behind Mr Martin, describing the consultants’ threat of withdrawing services as “unacceptable.”

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents 650 consultants, has sought the intervention of the National Implementation Body (NIB) in an effort to resolve the dispute.

It called on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to seek a convening of the NIB, claiming the imposition of the enterprise liability scheme without consultants’ agreement breaches Sustaining Progress.

The outcome of a meeting yesterday between department officials and the Medical Defence Union (MDU), the body refusing to guarantee cover of past claims, was kept under wraps. However, Mr Martin said he would not be making any concessions to the MDU, because the Medical Protection Society, which also indemnifies consultants, could then seek similar concessions.

If no progress is made in resolving the row, the IMO will ballot members for industrial action. The IMO has sought an urgent meeting with the Mr Martin and is waiting for a response.