IMO calls for “immediate engagement” on consultant pay issue

In a statement the IMO said it welcomed the Minister for Health’s Simon Harris “acknowledgement at the Oireachtas Health Committee debate that a process needs to commence to deal with the pay disparity for those consultants appointed since 1st October, 2012 and” and the union “calls for the process, which was recommended by the Pay Commission, to commence immediately”.

“Unless we address this unfair and inequitable situation we as a health service will not be in a position to deliver consultant care to patients.

“The current unsustainable situation wherein we have almost 500 vacant consultant posts and an ongoing inability to attract suitable candidates for posts which in previous times would have been highly competitive will persist.

“We need to face the unpalatable fact that right now the Irish health service is not an employer of choice for many doctors and when it comes to consultants the ongoing impact of the October 2012 pay cut is a significant factor as colleagues entering the service will earn €30K to €55K per year less than those employed prior to 2012. This additional cut to consultant pay was 30 per cent over and above all other public sector cuts for those working in the public service.”