A private consultant has said he doesn’t believe most doctors would need a contract before treating public patients during any surge in coronavirus cases.
The Government has offered private consultants a temporary contract to work exclusively in the public health system in the fight against coronavirus.
However, the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA) believes the proposals could have serious implications for their private patients.
They say they're looking for an agreement that ensures consultants can continue seeing their private patients.
The association says that an understanding reached last week has not resulted in a written updated draft contract, and the consultants' group has now warned that the current impasse is "untenable".
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Professor Michael O’Keefe - a Consultant Ophthalmologist Surgeon at the Mater Private - said he doesn’t need to sign a contract to treat public patients.
He suggested that when the private hospitals signed a contract with the HSE and Department of Health, they "forgot about the 500 doctors who look after a third of the patients in this country".
Prof O'Keefe explained: "I don't need any contract - I'll voluntarily treat any patient that comes in.
"The problem at the moment is that less than 20% of private hospitals have any occupancy.
"We haven't seen the surge, and if we do see the surge I think most doctors I know wouldn't need a contract to treat anybody: they'll treat these patients for nothing."
He said that many private consultants would be happy to 'take a hit' financially for the time being, but big problems remain if they're unable to see their own private patients.
Prof O'Keefe said the COVID-19 measures between health officials and the private hospitals meant his own work was effectively 'shut down' and he was unable to see or treat patients.
He said: "[Doctors] were suddenly faced with patients they had no place to treat, some of them very urgent."
Prof O'Keefe argued that the proposed new contract became "unsignable" as none of the consultants had seen it.
He also pointed to concerns about indemnity - saying while it had been resolved 'to some extent', there could be 'unintended consequences' down the line that could result in litigation for some doctors.
