The medical board of Cavan General Hospital has requested meetings with the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, and the chief executive of the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) about the delay in appointing a committee to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of two consultant surgeons from the hospital last year.
They also want to discuss the effect the suspensions are having on patient care.
Dr William Joyce and Dr Pawan Rajpal were suspended without pay last August by the NEHB over what are understood to be severe interpersonal difficulties.
Mr Martin was immediately asked by the health board to set up a committee of inquiry. However, his attempts to do so have been beset by difficulties.
Hospital consultants will have to be represented on the committee and it has proved difficult finding someone who has the time to get involved. Furthermore, the payment sought by the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association for the involvement of members was seen as prohibitive.
Now the Department of Health is set to involve three retired consultants on the committee of inquiry, which it said yesterday would be established soon.
A spokeswoman for the Department said last night Mr Martin would have no difficulty meeting representatives of Cavan hospital's medical board.
Elective surgery initially had to be postponed at the hospital when the surgeons were suspended. The Sunday Tribune reported yesterday that senior doctors had now raised concerns about patient care since Drs Joyce and Rajpal were suspended.
The health board, in a statement, said: "A number of incident reports, including some in relation to the surgical unit, are currently being reviewed in line with risk management practices at Cavan General Hospital."
Meanwhile, the High Court is expected today to hear an application from Dr Joyce to have his suspension lifted and to order the inquiry committee to begin its work without further delay.