Hospital consultants are today discussing proposals aimed at resolving a long-standing row over new contracts.
The final proposals from the independent chairman of the consultant contract negotiations, Mark Connaughton SC, were accepted yesterday by Minister for Health Mary Harney and Health Service Executive chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is considering them at its annual conference in
Dublin today and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) meets on Monday to discuss them.
Speaking at the conference, IHCA president, Dr David O'Keeffe, said consultants were "committed to agreeing a new contract".
"We see a future contract with a family friendly element, part time consultants, job-sharing consultants who don't stop being doctors at 4pm or 8pm or whenever they stop work," he told delegates.
But, the issue of how much consultants would be paid if they agreed to the new contracts - which would see them rostered to work in teams 37 hours a week and over 12-hour days - remains a significant stumbling block.
They have been offered up to €216,000 a year if they sign up to contracts to work in public hospitals only and up to €190,000 a year if they sign up to contracts allowing them do both public and private work in public hospitals or co-located private hospitals.
No more than 20 per cent of their work under these contracts could be private practice.