Prison doctors threaten to strike

PRISON doctors will begin strike action for the first time ever next Monday unless progress is made in talks with the Prison Service this week.

The 23 predominantly part-time doctors say they have been fighting for improved contracts and implementation of a key report on prison health care services for the last four years.

The doctors, represented by the Irish Medical Organisation, will begin exploratory talks with the Prison Service in the Labour Relations Commission today.

“We would hope we can make some progress to avert strike action. Obviously, we don’t want to pursue this line of action if at all possible,” said Dr Hugh Gallagher, spokesperson for the Association of Prison Doctors.

But he warned: “There will have to be definite forward movement on the part of the Prison Service. We are resolved to proceed with industrial action should that be necessary.”

Dr Gallagher said industrial action would begin with an all-out strike for a week, during which only emergency cover would be provided.

“We hope to minimise the impact on prisoners. Where medical attention is required it will be provided.

“A lot of doctors have left and a lot of doctors are planning to leave should there not be satisfactory resolution to the problems being discussed at present.”

He said pay levels for prison doctors were “way below” that in the marketplace.

A Prison Service report into prison health care services in 2001 recommended a “fundamental review” of the contract for doctors.

Dr Gallagher said they were looking for the full implementation of that report.

“That called for much improved psychological services, psychiatric services and addiction counsellors, which are not existent in the prison health care services at the present time, in a situation where a high proportion of prisoners are drug users.”

He also said there was a high rate of alcoholism and a high rate of mental illnesses among prisoners.

Reports published late last month by the Inspector of Prisons were severely critical of psychological and psychiatric services in Wheatfield Prison, Clondalkin, west Dublin and Loughan House Place of Detention in Co Cavan.

The sole psychologist in Wheatfield said she had a waiting list of 66 patients.

The inspectorate was also concerned at the high use of padded cells.

In Loughan House prisoners had not seen a psychologist for two years.

A Prison Service spokesman said efforts had been made to recruit medical personnel but that they have been unable to fill the positions.