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.

Ms Harney acknowledged that a lot of progress had been made on an agreed contract, but said: “We have been waiting far too long now to get new consultants into the Irish healthcare service. We know the patients are waiting. We know that in many cases there are long queues. The best quality health service can only be delivered when we have consultants delivering the service. I certainly believe we have to proceed very rapidly with the recruitment of these new consultants.”

Ms Harney said she would be meeting the chairman and chief executive of the HSE next Wednesday and asking them to proceed now with the recruitment of new consultants. It is planned to hire 2,000 new consultants on higher salaries but with limited private practice and longer hours under a new deal.

But the minister insisted that the demand by the IHCA for more than €300,000 a year for academic clinicians was a non-runner. IHCA assistant general secretary Donal Duffy said agreement in principle on the proposals was reached in January and there was confidence that a comprehensive document could be agreed soon.

“There are issues that still need to be sorted out but they are not insurmountable. We continue to be committed to the process.”

He admitted, however, that money was still an issue. “There is a significant increase in salary for clinical consultants and it is only reasonable that there be a corresponding increase for those with an academic commitment as well.”

He expects to get back to its members before the summer with a final document.

“That is our target. We want to get it wrapped up by then,” he said.