Irish Medical Organisation

IMO responds to appointment of New Minister for Health

Friday 11th July 2014. The President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has called on the new Minister for Health to seize the opportunity to work with doctors on delivering a health service which is patient focussed, evidence-based and properly resourced.

Speaking today Professor Trevor Duffy, said that he wished Minister Varadkar success in his new role and committed the IMO to working in a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation to deliver reforms that are realistic and good for patients. Professor Duffy said the IMO, on behalf of doctors working in General Practice, Hospitals, Community Medicine and Public Health, has called for real reforms that can work, not just political promises. He said; “The IMO will not shirk from defending the position of its members and advocating for patients where misguided policy is being pursued by the Government.”

Professor Duffy warned the new Minister to avoid ideological based reforms which are divorced from life on the ground in the Irish health services; “We need to take the ideology out of the Irish health services. We don’t need reforms which are designed by the IMF in Washington, we need reforms which reflect the reality of an overstretched health service where services to patients are being cut year on year, workload for doctors is increasing to unmanageable levels, Government routinely flouts European Directives on Working Time for NCHDs and where policymakers spend more time recruiting doctors from overseas on temporary contracts than they do trying to incentivise our highly trained doctors to stay at home and practice their profession here where they are most needed.”

Ends

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