Doctors to decide on review of €10m IMO retirement deal

Doctors are to decide themselves whether to put the finances of their trade union under scrutiny in a review that would include examining a €10m package paid out to a former CEO.

The wide-ranging retrospective review would include an examination of any stipends made to former presidents of the Irish Medical Organisation, including Health Minister James Reilly, who held office in 2005. It would also include scrutiny of the €9.7m retirement deal secured by former CEO George McNeice.

Incoming IMO president Trevor Duffy said last night that members “want to understand how it [the McNeice deal] happened and want to be reassured that it won’t happen again”.

Whether the review — deferred last year by the IMO Council over concerns about legal and financial implications — now goes ahead is in the hands of the 5,000-strong union membership who will be balloted in the coming months. If it does, it will examine financial and governance arrangements between 1993 and 2012, the operation of subsidiary or associated companies, the awarding of contracts, third-party salaries and expenses, and appointments to external bodies.

The ballot to decide on putting the future of the review in the hands of members took place behind closed doors at the IMO AGM in Co Kildare. Former IMO president, consultant surgeon Asam Ishtiaq tweeted from the meeting that the media “should have been allowed to report the proceedings for greater debate and transparency”.

Indeed the decision to hold the meeting behind closed doors was at the odds with the message delivered by outgoing president Matt Sadlier. He said changes to the rules of the IMO, which members voted in favour of last night, would “increase the level of transparency” which members have sought about the organisation’s operation and finances.

As a consequence of the rule changes, the annual stipend to the president of the IMO will reduce from €100,000 to €35,000, retrospective to last year. Dr Sadlier volunteered to take the reduced payment. Another key change to come into effect on foot of the rule changes is disclosure annually of the remuneration package of the CEO.

The controversy over Government plans to introduce free GP care for children under six is expected to dominate proceedings this morning.

Minister of state for primary care Alex White is due to address GPs opposed to the plan on the grounds that they are inadequately resourced to cater for the 240,000 extra children who would be entitled to free GP care.

The IMO initially said the meeting would take place behind closed doors but this was revised after Mr White indicated he had no difficulty with the media being present.

GPs are also opposed to the minister setting their fees and being able to change them at any time under new legislative proposals designed to overhaul the contract between GPs and the HSE.