Minister of Health ‘disappointed’ by plans of a public health doctor to strike for three days in January

Updated 1 hour ago

PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTORS have confirmed plans for a three-day strike in January.

The public health committee of the Irish Medical Organization (IMO) met today to consider the “overwhelming” vote (94%) of public health physicians in favor of industrial action in their “fight for esteem parity with other parts of the health service, “said a statement.

A statement from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that the Minister and the Health Department are “disappointed” with this decision to go on strike.

“The Minister and the Department hope that the issue of consultant status can be resolved through participation,” the statement said.

The creation of positions at the consultant level in Public Health Medicine is a priority for the Minister, as public health specialists have waited for many years for consultant status.

He added that the department and HSE have finalized the details of a future public health model, which will include roles at the consultant level.

The business case for this plan was presented to Minister of Public Expenditure Michael McGrath on November 19.

The statement added that the health minister and the department “hope that the problem can be resolved by engaging with the IMO” and avoiding a strike in January.

The IMO tonight expressed its disappointment at the “lack of meaningful engagement” on the issue by the Department of Health for five months.

“Currently, regardless of qualifications, no public health specialist is recognized as a consultant despite meeting the same criteria as all other appointed consultants in the health service,” a spokesperson noted.

The committee has decided to send an industrial action notice to the HSE and the Department of Health, saying that if there is no resolution to the problem, the following action will be initiated:

• Thursday, January 14: One-day strike by specialists and registrars specialized in public health medicine
• Thursday, January 21 and Friday, January 22: Two-day strike by specialists and registrars specialized in public health medicine

With reporting from Christina Finn.