Doctors in about 30 hospitals throughout the Republic are expected to take lunch breaks today in protest at their long working hours, which can exceed 100 hours a week. The action by house officers and registrars will take place between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and is not intended to be disruptive.
The Irish Medical Organisation, which is due to meet officials at the Department of Health on the issue of excessive hours today, has appealed to its members. It regards the action as premature and, while it would demonstrate the level of anger and frustration among non-consultant hospital doctors at their long working hours, it could also lead to local disputes if disciplinary action is taken against members who leave their posts.
The IMO industrial relations executive, Mr Fintan Hourihan, said yesterday he understood how frustrated members felt, but urged them to allow the organisation to concentrate on raising the primary issue of the longer working week with the department.
He outlined in a letter the steps the IMO was taking to address the issues, including political lobbying, initiatives with the Health and Safety Authority and a motion for next month's conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, calling for shorter working hours for doctors to be made a condition of any successor to Partnership 2000.
If the department did not provide a satisfactory response to the IMO demands, "there will be no hesitation on the IMO's part in balloting members on comprehensive and effective industrial action".
In some hospitals Mr Hourihan's call has been heeded. At Tallaght hospital, Dr Ronan Collins said members had decided to defer the protest, "but I understand the anger of people who are protesting. As hospitals become busier and busier, the hours actually worked become longer and harder to tolerate."
Besides reducing the working week from more than 100 hours in some cases to the 48 hours maximum to be permitted under EU legislation for other groups, Dr Collins said training was a major issue. "At present a lot of the jobs are simply service jobs and people never get a chance to train. We want protected hours for training."