Consultants reject claim action will hit patients

HOSPITAL consultants who begin their work to rule today over the Government’s unilateral plan to appoint new consultants have rejected a claim by the Health Service Executive (HSE) that their action will affect patients’ services.

General secretary of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) Finbarr Fitzpatrick said the organisation had made it quite clear to their 1,800 members that any activity involving patient care should not be affected.

Only committees discussing budgets, administrative matters and expert groups would be targeted in the work to rule, he pointed out.