The much-delayed Hanly report on medical manpower will be published by mid-October at the latest, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has said.The report in draft form proposes radical changes to the work practices of junior hospital doctors and consultants, tied in with the rationalisation of smaller hospitals.
It also envisages a large increase in the employment of consultants, but tied in to new working conditions including greater availability for night and weekend duty.
Responding to suggestions that the report might be shelved by the Government, Mr Martin said: "There is no question of Hanly not being published."
He told The Irish Times the report would go before Cabinet in two weeks and be published by the middle of next month.
The National Task Force on Medical Staffing, chaired by Mr David Hanly, submitted its report to the Minister before the summer.
It had been expected that the report would be published with two other key documents, the Brennan report on financial management in the health service and the Prospectus Report on reforming health structures, including the abolition of health boards, which were made public in early June.
With an EU working-time directive, which will limit the working hours of the Republic's non-consultant hospital doctors, due to be implemented by August 1st, 2004, medical sources have suggested this deadline is incompatible with the Hanly report's expected recommendation that junior doctors' hours be filled by doctors of consultant status.
However, Mr Martin has rejected this conclusion, pointing out that the date for final implementation of the EU working-time directive is August 2009.
The Labour Party's spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said last night the delay in publishing the Hanly report "suggests a problem".
"The Minister has no stomach for reforms. The longer he delays with major changes involving small hospitals the more likely he is to create a vacuum and generate a backlash from those who suspect the worst," she said.
Pointing out that most people have seen a draft of the medical manpower report, she said the delay in publication created unnecessary anxiety for staff and local communities.
"I question whether the Minister for Health has the stomach for Brennan or Hanly. He is concentrating on the smoking ban, which is important but is hardly a key issue in health, especially with the worsening situation for patients in accident and emergency departments," Ms McManus said.
Referring to Prof Niamh Brennan's criticism of the delays in implementing the recommendations in her report, she said: "Niamh Brennan is absolutely right - holidays in August are not a good excuse for failing to set up an interim health service executive."
Last week Prof Brennan told The Irish Times she was concerned that previous health service reports had ended up not being implemented.
"In the context that both Ministers [the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, and the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy] did seem supportive of our recommendations and very positive about implementing them, I'm wondering why there is so little evidence of activity since June," she added.
Ms McManus said further evidence that the reforms were not going to happen was that, until recently, individual health boards were still recruiting senior management and refurbishing premises.
"Yet the Government is supposed to be committed to abolishing health boards," she said.
Rejecting the criticism, the Minister said consultation on the Hanly and Brennan reports continued right through July. "People were not around to launch Hanly. It must be delivered and presented properly."
Regional doctors reject hospital blueprint: page 4