Public health doctors could be back to work before the start of the Special Olympics following a breakthrough in their 10-week strike yesterday.
Both sides accepted proposals from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) which will result in key aspects of the dispute being referred to an agreed third party for adjudication.
The strike will continue in the meantime, but a satisfactory outcome to the adjudication process could result in it ending next week.
The strike has seen the State's 270 public health doctors picket outside health boards, hospitals and the National Disease Surveillance Centre in a protest over pay and working conditions.
Dr Joe Barry, president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents the doctors, said recently it was important that a settlement be found before the beginning of the Special Olympics on June 21st.
The doctors work to control the spread of infectious diseases such as measles, meningitis and TB, and their absence has resulted in thousands of children not being vaccinated.
Dr Barry said up to 250 cases of infectious disease had been reported to the IMO's emergency line during the dispute, including 100 cases of TB.
The proposals put forward by the LRC will see one of the issues, payment due to doctors under previous partnership agreements, referred to an agreed third party for adjudication, "to be concluded without delay".
Implementation of the recommendations of the Brennan review on public health doctor grades is also to be considered as part of the adjudication process.
If the outcome is accepted, the issue of a structured out-of-hours service would be the subject of negotiations, to be concluded by the end of September, but doctors would return to work in the meantime.
The IMO's claim for certain senior public health doctors to be given consultant status is to be referred to the review body on higher remuneration in the public service.
In a statement, the IMO welcomed the fact that agreement had been reached on "a process" enabling all aspects of its claims to be dealt with.