Public health specialists, who are playing a key role in dealing with the pandemic, are to hold three days of strikes in January in a dispute over pay and contracts. Regardless of qualifications, no serving public health doctors has consultant rank, though the strike is not just about pay, said Dr Ina Kelly, who chairs the IMO’s public health committee. The Department of Health said on Monday that it and the Minister were disappointed at the planned public health doctors’ strike. “The creation of consultant level roles in public health medicine is a priority for the Minister as public health specialists have waited for many years for consultant status,” it said. The business case, outlining the proposed framework, was submitted by the Minister for Health to the Minister for PublicThe Department of Health has proposed to the Department of Public Expenditure that about 80 public health consultant posts should be created, filled by open competition, earning between €189,000 and €227,000 annually.

Source: The Irish Times November 30, 2020 18:29 UTC