Patients hit as consultants step up action

Patients across Ireland found their surgeries cancelled today as hospital consultants stepped up industrial action by halting work on a scheme to cut waiting lists.

Up to 100 patients were understood to have been affected as senior doctors withdrew their participation in the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Consultants have also threatened to stop everything but emergency cover next week if the issue of historic liability cover is not resolved.

Up to 40,000 patients at clinics and public hospitals could have elective surgery and outpatient appointments cancelled as a result of this action.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association launched a campaign of industrial action in protest at a new state indemnity scheme, which they claim does not cover doctors for historic claims.

Dr Colm Quigley, the president of the IHCA, claimed his members were left with no option but to take action after Health Minister Micheál Martin introduced the new system without their consent.

However, Mr Martin has insisted he had to take the decision to resolve the situation and has called for the consultants to halt their action.

Stephen McMahon, the chairman of the Irish Patients Association, said patients would be the real victims of the action.

The organisation has called on consultants to defer their action.

“It is affecting patients,” he said. “We understand their (consultants) concerns and, indeed, we share them but at the end of the day we cannot sit by and let patients be affected.

“It is very, very important that a contingency plan is put in there.”

Talks between the Department of Health, the consultants and their previous insurer, the UK based Medical Defence Union are to continue over the next few days.

The MDU wants to transfer liability for historic claims which have not yet been made to the Department of Health, but the Department of Health has claimed the 60 million euro offered by the MDU does not match the possible bill to the Irish taxpayer of 400 million euro arising from such claims.