Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Ceist:91 Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of hours which publicly paid consultants spent treating private patients in public hospitals in 2001. [19567/02]
Written Answers. - Hospital Doctors.
Information relating to the number of hours worked by consultants in treating private patients is not available to my Department. Consultants who hold their appointments in accordance with the terms and conditions of the category one contract for consultant medical staff have a scheduled public commitment of 11 fixed and flexible sessions and two non-scheduled sessions per week. He or she is also liable for extended duty and emergency services and is expected to devote substantially the whole of his or her professional time, including time spent on private practice, to the public hospital(s). However, I would like to state that time spent in private practice is a necessary element of our health service and should not in any way reduce the public service commitment of hospital consultants.