Junior doctors at Waterford Regional Hospital's children's unit began industrial action yesterday by refusing to provide cover for non-emergency cases.
The paediatric unit is the first department at the hospital to be hit by action by non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs). The move was prompted by proposed new rostering changes. It is not affecting the hospital's natal unit, which is attached to paediatrics.
The Irish Medical Organisation, which represents 120 junior doctors at the hospital, said that if the dispute wasn't resolved within a week, it would review the situation and consider escalating it to other areas of the hospital.
The action, which began at 9 a.m. yesterday, followed the breakdown on Tuesday of talks between the IMO and management. The hospital's junior doctors and management met yesterday to work out emergency cover at the unit.
The South Eastern Health Board said all emergency cover in the paediatric unit would be attended to and the situation would be closely monitored daily to ensure service disruption was kept to a minimum. "Health board representatives remain available for talks with the IMO at any stage with a view to resolving the dispute," said a spokeswoman.
She claimed the dispute arose because the health board had increased the number of NCHDs at the hospital. This had reduced the average working hours in order to meet, for the first time, the maximum of 65 hours per week.
However, Mr Paul Connolly of the IMO insisted the dispute was not about reducing doctors' working hours. Instead, it was about the impact that rostering changes would have on junior doctors' training, he said. The new arrangements would mean there would be fewer junior doctors on duty at the hospital during the busiest part of the day, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. This would affect their training because much of it would normally take place during these hours, he added.
He said management had failed to grasp what the industrial dispute was about and said the IMO had put forward its own proposals for achieving a shorter working week.