Consultants' insurance - Withdrawal of services unacceptable

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is quite right to describe a threat to withdraw services by hospital consultants over an issue of insurance as being unacceptable.

The question of insurance is, of course, a crucial one and a source of serious concern to the consultants, but it is not one to warrant the withdrawal of services, except emergency work, in three weeks' time.

Health Minister Mícheál Martin yesterday introduced a new insurance scheme, called enterprise liability, which means that if a patient feels they have grounds for legal action they will sue the hospital or health board instead of every individual or person involved.