The Labour Relations Commission is expected to issue recommendations today or tomorrow on the steps which it feels should be taken in an attempt to resolve the ongoing dispute over the proposed issuing of doctor-only medical cards.
Talks between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSEEA) reconvened under the auspices of the LRC last Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday morning.
The chief executive of the HSEEA Gerard Barry confirmed yesterday some progress had been made during these latest talks but a number of issues still had to be resolved.
"The LRC will be in touch with the parties again over the next few days," he said.
A range of issues were under discussion during the negotiations including the refusal to pay GPs a number of national pay awards, including GPs in a parallel benchmarking process and the introduction of 200,000 doctor-only medical cards, announced by the Minister for Health Mary Harney in the November estimates.
The IMO indicated two weeks ago after its GPs who provide care to medical card holders had a further 1.5 per cent pay increase withheld, that industrial action could not be ruled out.
However it hoped GPs grievances could be resolved through negotiation.
It is understood the issues on which agreement between the parties is still outstanding include the amount GPs should be paid under benchmarking and a demand by the IMO for extra funding for GP practices to cover the extra workload involved in administering the doctor only cards.
Dr Martin Daly, chairman of the IMO's GP committee, said he expected an arbitration document from the LRC in the next 36 hours. "Then we will have to consider the document," he said.
He added that he didn't want to raise hopes unduly that all outstanding issues would soon be resolved but he felt there was still constructive engagement between both sides and there was room for "cautious optimism".
The HSEEA warned GPs last month they should not expect pay increases unless they co-operated with the introduction of the new medical cards.
Ms Harney has also indicated that if she is unable to proceed with the introduction of the cards she will look at giving money directly to patients who would have been eligible for the cards to allow them pay for GP visits themselves.