The Labour Party has warned that the appointment of 60 new consultants to hospitals with high-performing emergency departments must not disadvantage patients in other hospitals.
The announcement today by the Health Service Executive (HSE) that 24 hospitals would get the new posts under its 100 Plus scheme was given a cautious welcome by Labour's spokeswoman on health, Liz McManus.
But she said it was vital that the HSE enters into an arrangement to ensure that hospitals not qualifying this time are provided with the means to improve their services so that they can also benefit from further appointments.
"All sorts of factors can inhibit the performance of an A&E department including the availability of beds and the quality of the physical infrastructure," Ms McManus said.
"In most cases patients do not have a choice as to what hospital they may be attending and it is vital that they are not further disadvantaged for matters over which they have no control," she added.
She also called on Minister for Health Mary Harney to conclude her talks with the medical organisations on new consultants' contracts.
Welcoming the announcement, the Irish Medical Organisation said: "It is essential that these new appointees are provided with sufficient resources to discharge their responsibilities, whether that means access to operating theatre, outpatient clinics or having appropriate secretarial, medical and administrative support."
The IMO, which represents over 800 consultants and 4,000 junior doctors, said the Irish health service was one of the most under-staffed at consultant level in western Europe.