Consultants insist summer deal possible as Harney puts on pressure

HOSPITAL consultants insisted yesterday a new contract could be agreed before the summer after Health Minister Mary Harney said she could not wait any longer and was pressing ahead with the recruitment of new consultant posts.

The minister told reporters at the Irish Medical Organisation conference in Killarney, Co Kerry, that she would be asking the Health Service executive to advertise the additional consultant posts. Last year, consultants threatened to boycott the new positions after Ms Harney advertised 58 without agreement on a new contract.

Both the IMO, which represents about 800 consultants, and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), which represents about 1,800, said while progress had been made on an agreed document, outstanding issues remained. The IHCA said it was confident a document could be agreed shortly.