The Irish Medical Organisation and the British Medical Association have outlined plans for the first all-Ireland health conference, a joint initiative representing the formalisation of more than 20 years of informal cross-Border co-operation within the profession.
Dr Caroline Marriott, the chair of the BMA committee of consultants and specialists, said the suspension of the political institutions in Northern Ireland would not hinder the efforts of the two organisations. "I don't think a hiccup in the process should get in the way of us taking things forward."
The one-day conference, scheduled for September, aims to examine a wide range of health topics including cancer research, the treatment of stroke patients, genetics, teen pregnancy, suicide, lifestyle, caring for the elderly and health on the Internet.
Speaking at the Belfast launch of the conference, which will be held in a Co Cavan hotel, the northern chairman of the event's planning committee, Dr Colin Hamilton, said organisers hoped the event would "unlock potential and give ideas for further co-operation".
He said guest speakers and delegates could help formulate practical steps to address the broad themes and stressed that 600 invited representatives would be drawn from areas beyond professional health bodies, to include government officials and those from voluntary and research institutions.
"This is the first of a series of conferences, irrespective of any political changes that may or may not take place in the meantime. This conference will be a beginning and not an end," said Dr Hamilton.
The chief executive of the IMO, Dr George McNeice, said it was important for medics north and south of the Border to formulate their own agenda and he encouraged the establishment of partnerships across sectors of the profession.
"We all want more resources so we should be able to get more resources and use those resources efficiently and effectively between ourselves rather than competing among ourselves and allowing governments to use that competition to do nothing. The conference in that sense will bring everyone together."
Dr McNeice said cross-Border co-operation between the organisations was nothing new. "It has been happening for the last 20 years, in the sense that there has been co-operation but this is the first time that it has become public and very organised."
Dr Ian Banks, a Belfast-based general practitioner, said he had benefited from an exchange visit to a practice in the Republic. "The beauty of the conference is the different of approaches North and South and the advantage is that we can look at both and cherry-pick the best way."
A specialist in men's health, Dr Banks stressed that both parts of the island faced the same health problems such as high rates of male suicide and cardiovascular disease.