The Government's decision to support a 13-year delay in the introduction of a 48-hour working week for junior doctors has been condemned widely.
The Irish Medical Organisation said it was "bitterly disappointed" at the unanimous decision of European social affairs ministers yesterday to extend the deadline for the enforcement of an EU directive which would bring trainee doctors' working hours in line with other professions.
Mr Fintan Hourihan, the IMO's industrial relations executive, said the decision "means junior doctors will continue to work anything up to 100 hours a week".
Labour's health spokesman, Ms Liz McManus, said it was "a scandal that these vital health care professionals" were expected to work such hours. The decision would prolong the risk to patients, she said.
The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, defended Ireland's decision to back the deal.
He said the problem was not simply an Irish one and that the Government had "to be mindful that there are manpower issues where we can't bring in a new regime overnight".
The 13-year delay was a compromise agreement proposed by the German Presidency. Britain had been holding out for a 15-year transition and was reported to have been supported in this stance until recently by Ireland.
Mr Cowen, however, denied this was the case. He said the Government had never opposed the introduction of working-hours protection for junior doctors.
Explaining the agreement, the Minister said: "It's clearly the case there are many states that have issues that arise if we were to move to a 48-hour week in the morning, serious problems in manpower terms."
The Progressive Democrats health spokeswoman, Sen Mairin Quill, however, accused the Minister of "sitting on the fence".
She said: "This draconian abuse of labour wouldn't be tolerated in any other profession and it shouldn't be tolerated in the healthcare sector, where quality of service is vital."
Under the agreement, there will be a scaled reduction in weekly working hours for junior doctors, from a maximum of 60 hours between 2003 and 2006 to 56 hours between 2006 and 2009 and 52 hours between 2009 and 2012.
Mr Hourican said the existing voluntary agreement between the IMO and the Health Service Employers Agency for a 65-hour limit on weekly working hours was "being abused left, right and centre.
"We have instances of people working between 90 and 100 hours a week quite regularly, and some are working even more when un-rostered hours and hours on-call are taken into account. The twin concerns for all doctors arising out of this are the quality of patient care and the health and safety of doctors.
"In practically every other sector there is a regulation of working time, but junior doctors continue to be excluded."
The EU directive is being introduced specifically to cater for professions excluded under an earlier working-time directive, which resulted in the introduction by the Government of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.
Mr Hourihan said the IMO would be seeking for the European Parliament to overturn the decision when the directive comes before the chamber this autumn. The medical body has contacted all 15 sitting MEPs as well as many of the candidates in the forthcoming European elections seeking their support.
The Fine Gael MEP, Ms Mary Banotti, said the decision showed a complete disregard for the safety of patients and doctors. She asked whether there would have to be "patient deaths or a tragic scandal before this short-sighted decision was reversed".
