A majority of GPs have voted in favour of proposals from the Labour Relations Commission aimed at ending a dispute between the doctors and health-service employers over pay and other issues, including the introduction of doctor-only medical cards.
The Irish Medical Organisation, which balloted its 2,000 plus GPs on the proposals, said yesterday after ballots were counted that more than 90 per cent of GPs had voted in favour of the LRC's recommendations.
It did not disclose how many GPs had voted, however.
The commission's recommendations, which had already been accepted by the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSEEA) and welcomed by Minister for Health Mary Harney, will see GPs receiving pay increases which were withheld from them under four separate national pay rounds.
They will also be included in benchmarking and will get special once-off payments worth a total of €7 million for signing up 200,000 people due to get doctor-only medical cards.
Dr Martin Daly, chairman of the IMO's GP Committee, said he was very happy with the outcome of the ballot.
He said talks had already been taking place with the Department of Health and the HSEEA on a special contract for doctors treating patients with doctor-only medical cards.
"We hope that the contract discussions can be concluded in a matter of a week to 10 days. The contract negotiations are technical negotiations, and we don't envisage them becoming prolonged," he said.
As part of their acceptance of the commission's proposals, GPs will also have their existing GMS contracts reviewed.
The review will begin in September and it is expected that it will be completed before the end of March 2006.
"It's an ambitious timeframe laid down by Kieran Mulvey of the LRC, but I think it injects a sense of urgency into a review process which was first mooted in 1999.
"I think it's in everyone's interest that there is a review of how GP services are provided in the State," Dr Daly said.