There were hopes last night that industrial action by hospital consultants, planned for next month, may be averted after their main issue of concern - malpractice insurance cover - was considered by the Cabinet.
The Cabinet, following detailed discussion, agreed no consultant refused medical malpractice cover by the British based Medical Defence Union (MDU) would be left uncovered by the State and no patient who successfully sued such a consultant would be left without compensation.
In doing so the Cabinet endorsed a letter sent by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, to the consultants' representative organisations, the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) last October.
Following the Cabinet meeting yesterday, the Secretary to the Government, Mr Dermot McCarthy, wrote to the IHCA and the IMO with details of the Cabinet decision.
It was received by the IHCA as it counted the votes of members balloted over the last two weeks on industrial action. Some 84 per cent indicated they were in favour of industrial action. Some 989 of the 1,534 IHCA members eligible to vote did so, a turn-out of 64 per cent. Afterwards, Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, general secretary of the IHCA, said it was a "definitive result".
He added that while the letter from Mr McCarthy was a "worthwhile development" it was too early to say if industrial action, due to start on March 14th, would be called off.
"We have to consider what's in the letter," he said.
He added that the IHCA is due to meet the IMO tomorrow to consider a joint campaign of action and they are due to meet health service employers afterwards about their strike plans.
Mr Fintan Hourihan, director of industrial relations with the IMO, said he would be getting the advice of senior counsel on Mr McCarthy's letter today. IMO members have already voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
To date the IHCA and IMO have said Ms Harney's October letter was not legally binding and they needed a cast iron guarantee that no consultant or patient would go uncovered before their action would be called off. If the action goes ahead some 50,000 elective and outpatient appointments will be cancelled every week, crippling hospital services.
Behind the scenes last night consultants were welcoming the Cabinet decision. One source said: "The fact that there is a Cabinet endorsement of the Tánaiste's letter adds an awful lot of weight to it."
The whole problem has arisen as a result of the MDU refusing to assist a number of consultants being sued for alleged malpractice in the past. This is despite the consultants paying large subscriptions to the MDU down the years in the belief they would be covered if sued.
The Department of Health was seeking to examine the MDU's books to see what it could pay when the MDU pulled out of talks with the Department last month.
Chris Ashmore writes: Over 400 people took part in a protest rally outside Letterkenny General Hospital in Co Donegal yesterday to highlight the lack of progress being made on the provision of additional hospital beds.
Irish Nurses' Organisation representative Ms Therese Gallagher said: "The situation here is really desperate. The shortage of beds has now become a daily occurrence."