Doctors to meet on prisons dispute

The Irish Medical Organisation’s prison doctors are due to meet today to discuss the next step in their dispute with the Prison Service.

The doctors have been engaged in industrial action for three weeks in protest at the poor standards of healthcare available in Irish prisons.

The Prison Service has decided to call in army medics to treat prisoners affected by the action and this move is expected to dominate today’s IMO talks.

The organisation has accused the Government of ignoring the low standard of medical care in Irish prisons and of giving less priority to the health of prisoners than to the health of society at large.