Vol. 562 No. 6
69 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on progress on the implementation of the national health strategy since Dáil Éireann rose for the Christmas recess; and the progress made on action 89 which promises greater equity for public patients in a revised contract for hospital consultants. [6752/03]
The National Health Strategy 2001 is a seven to ten year comprehensive strategic plan for the health system. Several key actions will take the full ten years to implement, for example, the primary care strategy.
An additional €694 million was allocated to the health service this year bringing the total health allocation for 2003 to €8.9 billion, including capital. The Deputy will recall that I gave a detailed report on the breakdown of this allocation in relation to implementation of the strategy in 2003, in my response to his parliamentary question of 11 February on this matter.
In relation to action 89 of the health strategy, preliminary talks aimed at resolving the outstanding issues of the 1997 consultants' common contract have already begun. My Department has successfully negotiated the introduction of a revised grievance and dispute procedure with the consultants' representative bodies. In addition, discussions regarding a revised administrative leave scheme for consultants have been productive, although this issue has yet to be finalised. It is hoped that substantive talks on a new contract will commence shortly.
It is my Department's intention that the talks on a new contract will take cognisance of the recommendations made in the report of the forum on medical manpower, the report of the national joint steering group on the working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors and the forthcoming report of the national task force on medical staffing and other recent reports.
