Campaign to reduce 'dangerous' working hours for junior doctors

Junior doctors are threatening to strike if the Government doesn't move to reduce their working hours.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has launched a major campaign to highlight "dangerously long" working hours which Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) are routinely forced to work in Ireland.

Branded "24 No More", the campaign seeks to highlight how NCHDs are regularly forced to work shifts of more than 24 hours at a time.

The organisation said that Ireland and Greece are the only EU countries that have not fully implemented the EU Working Time Directive, with limits the working week of NCHDs to a maximum of 48 hours and prohibits the practice of NCHDs working 36-hour continuous shifts.

The IMO has also announced that as part of this campaign it will ballot over 2,000 junior doctors next month to step up the campaign to include taking industrial action.

“Patients and NCHDs in Irish hospitals are in danger as a result of the Irish government forcing NCHDs to work shifts in excess of 24 hours which is in flagrant breach of the NCHD contract and both Irish and European law," said Eric Young, IMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations.

“It is unacceptable that patient and NCHD safety is being put at risk by these dangerously long working hours.

"The Government must stop breaking Irish and EU law and put an end to doctors working shifts in excess of 24 hours in Irish hospitals.”