The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has again appealed to hospital consultants to call off their industrial action, claiming it will put patients at risk.
The Irish Hospital Consultant's Association (IHCA), which represents 1,350 practising and 150 retired consultants, is locked in a bitter dispute with the Department of Health over a new indemnity scheme, known as enterprise liability, which does not cover them for past events. It was introduced on February 1st, against the wishes of the IHCA.
Consultants have already withdrawn from a number of administrative duties, and intend to stop participating in the National Treatment Purchase Fund next week. They are also threatening to withdraw all cover except emergency services on February 23rd.
Mr Martin, who has accused the IHCA of undermining the Government's attempts to protect taxpayers from a huge bill for historical malpractice claims, said this industrial action was "unacceptable". He said 12,000 patients are due to be treated under the National Treatment Purchase Fund this year. "Why deprive these people of their treatment?" he asked.
The IHCA wants the Medical Defence Union to continue to provide insurance for claims arising from historical liabilities for all non-obstetricians. The MDU claims it may not be able to offer insurance for past events because it did not take in enough in premia over the years.
The MDU wants to transfer the liabilities to the Department of Health but has only offered €60 million in return, when the liabilities could reach up to €400 million, according to the Department.
"The threatened dispute is solely about a demand that the State allow this insurance body to walk away from liabilities which might arise from cover it has already granted" Mr Martin claimed this afternoon.
"We have been told that the MDU might unilaterally try to withdraw from its historical liabilities. We have consistently told the consultants' organisation that we will in such cases provide full legal backing and indemnify any consultant taking an action against the MDU to force them to meet their responsibilities," he added.
The IHCA's general secretary, Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, dismissed the Minsiter's claims. "They must pay their fair share of a scheme that will ensure patients and consultants are covered for historical liabilities," he said. "We fully support Minister Martin and the Government in their endeavour to ensure the taxpayer does not pay a disproportionate share of the burden.
"However, it is recognised across the world that obstetrics is uninsurable. The MDU's inability to pay, which has been known by his Department for at least ten years, has to be taken on board by the Minister."
