Consultants give Martin ultimatum

Hospital consultants are due to begin a campaign of action today to express their opposition to a new insurance scheme being introduced by Health Minister Micheál Martin.

The consultants will withdraw from administrative duties from this morning and have threatened to only provide emergency cover if the minister does not scrap his insurance reforms within three weeks.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association said Mr Martin’s new insurance scheme would leave doctors without cover for past negligence claims.