Minister for Health Mary Harney said today that the recruitment process would continue in spite of industrial action by hospital consultants over new contracts.
Minister for Health, Mary Harney
Speaking in Dublin this afternoon, the Minister said the public would find it difficult to understand why consultants were blocking a measure that they have repeatedly called for.
"I don't think there would be any public support, particularly from patients and their families, for pausing the recruitment process," said Harney.
"I strongly urge consultants to reconsider their actions in attempting to block recruitment to these important posts in areas such as rheumatology, cystic fibrosis and psychiatry," she added.
Senior doctors are boycotting meetings with health service employers and officials in a disagreement over the Government's plan to appoint new consultants.
During the campaign, members of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) have also said they will stop providing cover for colleagues on leave, except in emergencies, and will step down from some hospital and national committees.
More than 1,000 consultants voted in favour of the strike, which will be confined to public hospitals.
The IHCA has said the campaign will not affect patient care, with consultants meeting their normal clinical commitments.
However, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said the withdrawal from day-to-day management of hospitals and co-operation with the management will affect patient services.
The action is in response to a decision by Health Minister Mary Harney and the HSE to advertise for 68 new consultancy posts on terms which have not been agreed by the association.
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin today called for a contract to ensure that all new hospital consultant posts are public only.
Mr Ó Caoláin said: "We currently have a situation where hospital consultants are being paid on the double to work in the public and private sector without proper accountability for their work in the public system.
The Irish Nurses' Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses' Association are to ballot their 45,000 members on whether to continue with an eight-week nationwide work-to-rule after it was proposed to reduce their working week to 37.5 hours by June next year.
They were seeking a 10.6 per cent pay rise and a 35-hour working week.