Consultants to press ahead with strike

Hospital consultants in the Irish Medical Organisation are reportedly planning to press ahead with industrial action next month, despite government assurances designed to alleviate their concerns.

The strike is part of a long-running dispute that has been simmering since the Government established a new state-run scheme to insure hospital doctors.

The British Medical Defence Union, which insured Irish consultants up to last year, has since refused to meet compensation pay-outs arising from past negligence claims.

The Cabinet has sent a letter to both the IMO and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association promising that the State will meet these pay-outs if the MDU refuses to do so.

However, reports this morning said the IMO had received legal advice on the content of the letter and was not satisfied that the document alleviated consultants’ concerns.

The IHCA is still considering its legal advice before deciding whether to cancel the industrial action due to get underway in mid-March.

If the strike goes ahead, consultants will withdraw from all non-emergency duties, a move that would affect thousands of out patients and others waiting for non-emergency operations.