Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has criticised hospital consultants for delaying the Government's plans to introduce reform in the health service.
Speaking at the end of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party conference yesterday, the Minister hit out at consultants over their refusal to participate in talks with the Government on the introduction of a new contract. This is seen as a key element in the Government's overall healthcare reform plan.
Mr Cowen described the consultants as one of the "powerful vested interests", and he accused them of "standing back" from the process of talks on the future of the health system.
The Minster said that given the amount of resources which the Government was allocating to the health services, the least the taxpayer expected was that people would sit around a table.
For the past 18 months, both of the main organisations representing consultants have refused to take part in talks on a new contract with the Government because of a row over medical insurance cover for senior doctors.
Last month the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, invited consultants to begin talks on a new contract in October.
It is understood that consultants have indicated to the Department of Health that some progress on the insurance row had been made, but they did not consider the matter to be fully resolved.
In the absence of talks with the consultant bodies, health service management and the Department have drawn up more than 20 versions of draft position papers on what they want in the new consultants' contract. Among the reforms that they are expected to seek are a greater commitment by doctors to public patients.
At present, consultants have a contract to work for 33 hours per week in public hospitals.
Internal Department of Health papers, seen by The Irish Times, reveal that health service management want to see issues such as a public-only contracts, improved financial accountability, clinical audit risk management and peer reviews addressed in the new contract.
Mr Cowen said that the Government was investing huge resources in the health services.
There had also been "an open consultative process" regarding the Government's reform plans.
He said that despite investment, there were still powerful vested interests standing back from the process and refusing to become engaged. When asked specifically who he was referring to, Mr Cowen said he was referring to the hospital consultants.
The Minister said that considering the resources which were now being invested in health, "no one has the right to say that they were refusing to sit down in talks about change that was necessary".
Last night the consultants said they categorically rejected the Minister's assertion that they were "standing back" from talks and said they were available for discussions once the issues concerning the clinical indemnity scheme had been resolved.