IMO Urges Junior Doctors Not To Seek New Consultant Posts

The Irish Medical Organisation is calling on non-consultant hospital doctors not to apply for the new jobs as full consultants due to be advertised by the HSE tomorrow. The organisation has also written to doctors associations in other countries including Britain and the US asking them to make a similar request to their members.

The move comes amid the ongoing dispute over the Government’s plans to introduce new contracts for consultants. The IMO and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association have failed to reach agreement with the HSE on the terms of the proposed new contracts during protracted talks over the past couple of years.

Health Minister Mary Harney has expressed growing frustration with the deadlock and has vowed to press ahead with hiring additional consultants on the new contracts despite the lack of agreement with existing doctors.

Yesterday, the IHCA vowed to boycott the recruitment process.