The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has agreed to set up a committee to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of two consultant surgeons from their duties at Cavan General Hospital.
The consultants, Mr William Joyce and Mr Pawan Rajpal, were suspended without pay for an indefinite period by the North Eastern Health Board last August. The suspensions were mainly attributed to severe interpersonal difficulties between the two men.
The health board, when it announced the suspensions, asked the Minister to set up a committee to inquire into the matter. The order allowing for such an inquiry to proceed has now been signed by Mr Martin .
The inquiry team will be led by a senior counsel assisted by two union representatives and two employer representatives. Members of the team are due to receive letters informing them of their appointment to the committee this week. Their deliberations are likely to take some time.
Elective surgery initially had to be postponed when the surgeons were suspended. However, the health board has since employed two locums to carry out their work.