Hospital consultants have urged the Minister for Health Simon Harris and Fine Gael to give a commitment to to open an additional 800 public hospital beds within two years, and to introduce new targets for the delivery of care that match those in place in the UK. At a meeting with Mr Harris on Thursday, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) called for an ending of the lower pay arrangements in place for medical specialists appointed since autumn 2012. “More than anything else we need to fill the current 500 unfilled permanent hospital consultant posts caused by the Government’s discrimination against new consultants. “Getting highly trained specialist consultants back working in our public hospitals will ensure that hospital patients are treated without unacceptable delays. It wants public hospitals to cater only for public patients under the proposed Sláintecare health reforms.

Source: The Irish Times January 16, 2020 20:11 UTC