The organisers of a series of hospital protests today are confident that hundreds of medical workers will turn out to highlight the state of the health service.
The unofficial action is being organised to give doctors and other workers the chance to make their feelings known, according to protest organiser Dr Stephen Harris.
"Doctors, senior professors, cleaners, nurses and secretaries have told me they are no longer willing to be silent," he said.
The lunchtime protests are expected to be held at most major hospitals from 1.05 p.m. to 1.50 p.m. A similar protest was held in June. ail next month. Dr Harris said that protest received support throughout the Republic and he expected a similar turnout today.
An estimated 200 non-consultant medical doctors at Galway's University College and Merlin Park hospitals are expected to join in the protest.
A spokesman said many junior doctors in Irish hospitals worked between 80 and 100 hours a week, even though a recent EU directive proposed a 48-hour working week for employees.
"Our long working hours have not been improved in 25 years," he said. "Many of us feel that it is unfair on our patients to force us to work these long hours."
Dr Harris said the protests were to highlight the need to make patient-care reform part of a development programme in the State. Other issues included the training of doctors and the filling of medical consultants' positions. "For too long there has been no system for doctors on the ground to register their own opinions," according to Dr Harris, who is specialist registrar in endocrinology, diabetes and general medicine at the Cork University Hospital.
"Now they want to have a say as much as those who manage the health service."
The protest would not have an impact on health services, Dr Harris said, and all doctors would return to work immediately if they were needed.
A senior Irish Medical Organisation official met the protest organisers in Cork yesterday. Al though the IMO has no direct involvement in organising the protest, IMO communications executive, Ms Marie Murphy, said it understood the frustration of the non-consultant hospital doctors and the need for their requirements to be urgently addressed.
The IMO agreed a 10-point plan with the Department of Health and the Health Service Employers' Agency in June, aimed at reducing doctors' working week.
Although the organisers of today's protest claimed that nurses would participate, a spokeswoman for the Irish Nurses' Organisation said it was not aware of the action.