The Irish Medical Organisation has clarified its position regarding plans to extend action in support of public health doctors, writes Dr Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent.
Dr James Reilly, vice-president and chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation's GP committee said: "It was never the official position of the GP committee that the reporting of SARS, meningitis, TB and other serious illnesses would cease."
He said that family doctors were not planning to alter the established practice of immediately contacting public health departments when they came across a case of serious infectious disease.
However, Dr Reilly confirmed that the IMO GP committee would consider proposals to restrict the weekly and monthly reporting of routine infectious disease statistics to health board public health departments.
Dr Reilly said that GPs and other craft groups would meet later this week to draw up specific plans for possible action in response to the threats made by the Minister for Health against identifiable senior public health specialists. "In the absence of a resolution to this dispute, action in support of our public health colleagues could begin in week four of the strike," he said.
Meanwhile, the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) has issued a statement on the public health doctors dispute following a meeting of its national council at the weekend.
"Whilst understanding the frustration and long-standing grievance of the public health doctors, the IHCA believes that any positive approach by the Minister should result in suspension of the strike immediately for the public good," it said.
Reacting to this, Mr Fintan Hourihan, director of industrial relations with the IMO, commented: "Public health doctors will not receive the stated disapproval of strike action by the IHCA kindly at a time when their medical colleagues are in the third week of an industrial action which was difficult to embark on."