Talks between health service management and medical organisations on a new contract for hospital consultants continue n Co Kildare today.
Issues over pay, private practice rights and hours of work are set to be the main items on the agenda for the negotiations at a hotel near Naas.
The Health Service Executive Employers' Agency warned yesterday that the talks represented the last chance for the foreseeable future for the parties to reach agreement on a new contract for hospital consultants.
The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association said that a range of contract options were needed, while the Irish Medical Organisation forecast that the negotiations would be difficult and that it would not be possible to predict the chances of success until it saw the proposals which were tabled.
The talks were initially scheduled to last for three days. However, it is now expected they may last until next week.