Public health doctors postpone planned strike due to worsening Covid situation

The Public Health Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) met to discuss the strike action by Public Health Doctors scheduled to take place this month.

The planned strike by public health doctors has been postponed because of the worsening situation with the pandemic.

The Public Health Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) met to discuss the strike action by Public Health Doctors scheduled to take place this month.

Given the "rapid and escalating incidence of Covid 19 in Ireland" and the "critical role of public health specialists in controlling the virus and breaking chains of transmission", the IMO said the Committee has decided to defer three days of strike action planned for 14th, 20th and 21st January.

The Committee will review the situation again at the end of January.

Dr Ina Kelly, Chair of the IMO Public Health Committee, said: “For all the talk from the Government on the importance of supporting public health we are more than disappointed, frustrated and angry that even now our Public Health Departments are wholly under-resourced and Government has still not even come to us with proposals to reform the system so that we can have a consultant-led public health service.

"It is nothing short of disgraceful that we are almost a year into this pandemic and have had no meaningful engagement with Government.

“This confirms to us that this Government neither respects nor values the work of public health doctors and it strengthens our resolve to win this battle in the coming months in order to protect the future of public health in Ireland.

"We went into this pandemic understaffed, under-resourced and under-valued and nothing has changed.

"We still have no consultant-led public health teams and inadequate staffing and we are still overwhelmed on a daily basis.” 

In a ballot seeking approval for strike action which was held in late November, 94% of Public Health doctors voted in favour of the move to strike.

 She added: “Our decision to defer action is based purely on ethical considerations and our commitment to do the right thing at a time of grave crisis.

"This Government has failed to do the right thing.

"Our careers are dedicated to public health and to even contemplate industrial action has been an extremely difficult decision yet this Government has forced us to do just that.” 

In a ballot seeking approval for strike action which was held in late November, 94% of Public Health doctors voted in favour of the move to strike.

The country’s 91 Specialists of Public Health Medicine (SPHMs) had planned to take the action this month as part of their 17-year battle for consultant status and contracts.

The IMO's Public Health Committee served notice of industrial action on the HSE and the Department of Health at the end of November.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has repeatedly stressed he "fully supports the creation of consultant level roles in Public Health Medicine" and has said the creation of these roles is "a priority" for him. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

They made it clear that if there was no resolution on the contracts, strike action would commence on Thursday, January 14, followed by a two-day strike on Thursday, January 21 and Friday, January 22.

It is understood the decision to postpone the strike did not follow any approach by any HSE or the Department of Health official.

The SPHMs appear to have decided to take the initiative themselves in light of recent developments with rising Covid-19 figures.

The four-page contract they sign gives SPHMs - in effect - the same status as an admin secretary.

Despite this, in playing the lead role in investigating and controlling notifiable infectious diseases and outbreaks, they have led Ireland’s response to Covid-19.

Consultant status and contracts were part of a pay and productivity agreement in 2019.

It was made between the IMO, the Department of Health, and the HSE to avert strike action in 2019 and was due to be fully implemented by July 2020.

Much of the increased productivity aspect of the agreement was fast-tracked due to the Covid-19 crisis.

However, they did not get the extra pay or contracts.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has repeatedly stressed he "fully supports the creation of consultant level roles in Public Health Medicine" and has said the creation of these roles is "a priority" for him.