Public health doctors ready to strike

PUBLIC health specialists have signalled they are ready for strike action amid claims the country has no out of office hours emergency plan to deal with an epidemic like the deadly pneumonia virus spreading across the world.

Public health doctors are set to take full-scale and indefinite strike action after it emerged there has been no movement on negotiations since the Irish Medical Organisation deferred a walkout.

Strike action is due to begin on Monday week unless the IMO and the Health Service Employers’ Agency can hammer out a deal, an unlikely scenario given the stalemate on talks.