Hospital recruitment hit by consultant insurance row

PRIVATE hospitals are having difficulties recruiting consultants because of the continuing uncertainty over their insurance for medical negligence claims.

Although the dispute over the introduction of the Government’s Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) centres on consultants working in public hospitals, consultants’ representatives say there is a knock-on effect for the private sector.

Outlining their position yesterday, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said one consequence of the imposition of the CIS was that the impact on the private sector, which is not subject to the scheme, was not clarified. This uncertainty is making consultants reluctant to enter private-only contracts.