The long-standing dispute between the prison doctors and the Irish Prison Service appears to be at an end following talks at the Labour Relations Commission in Dublin.
The prison doctors, who are members of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), have voted to accept settlement proposals put forward during the extensive talks process, a statement released yesterday said.
The prison service has agreed to "significant improvements in the pay and terms of employment for the 25 members of staff" in addition to granting independent reviews of medical facilities, an IMO statement said. Dr Hugh Gallagher, chairman of the prison doctors' committee, welcomed the endorsement of the proposals.
"The focus must now be on ensuring that real improvements in the medical care of prisoners follow the extensive discussions that have taken place with the prison authorities," he said. "Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the medical care of prisoners is on par with that available to the wider community".
The prison doctors resumed duties following industrial action earlier this month. A spokeswoman for the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said last night that the "Minister has welcomed the successful conclusion of the dispute".
In May, the death of a Mountjoy Prison inmate who became ill during the night was not as a result of the industrial action taken by the prison doctors, the governor said.
Mr John Lonergan said that even if doctors were working as normal, the man would not have been seen by a doctor until the next day.
"Contrary to what people think, we don't have doctors here on duty all the time. The man was seen by a medical orderly just after 8 p.m. when he was committed. Prison doctors would have gone home by that stage and it would be normal for the inmate to be examined the next morning by the doctor."