Public health doctors belonging to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) are to hold three days of strike action in January in an escalation of their campaign to be regraded in line with hospital consultants.
The doctors who oversee public health operations including infectious diseases, vaccinations and contact tracing, will hold a one-day stoppage on 14 January, and a further two-day strike on 21 and 22 January.
They reserve the right to escalate their stoppages if the dispute is not resolved by then. In a statement, the Department of Health expressed disappointment at the decision. "The creation of consultant level roles in Public Health Medicine is a priority for the Minister [for Health] as public health specialists have waited for many