Public health doctors to continue hospital pickets

PUBLIC health doctors will continue to picket outside many of the country’s acute hospitals for as long as is necessary, a spokesman said last night.

Their pay row with the Department of Health looks set to continue into a fifth week. Yesterday, 270 doctors paced with placards outside nine of the country’s acute hospitals, demanding a better deal than what’s on offer.

“We hope to achieve more awareness about our grievances by taking this action. It is not an antagonistic one, but designed to inform people just what our problems are. We are quite prepared to continue with this action, and are arranging revolving rotas for next week,” IMO public health committee chairman Dr Joe Barry said.

The hospitals picketed included the James Connolly Memorial in Dublin, Louth County Hospital in Dundalk, St Colmcille’s, Loughlinstown, Sligo General Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway.

Others included Tullamore General Hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital, Naas General Hospital and St Joseph’s psychiatric hospital in Limerick. In Cork, doctors picketed outside the Abbey Court community care offices.

The doctors have applied to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for all-out pickets and want other unions to support them. According to an ICTU spokesperson, this action could take at least 10 days, as all union members involved will have to be balloted.