The new IMO President has called for a major investment programme in new hospitals to address the “estimated shortfall of 5,000 hospital beds” in the country.

Professor Matthew Sadlier was speaking during his inaugural address at the organisations AGM, in Hotel Europe in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Professor Sadlier, who is a Consultant Psychiatrist, said that the shortage of hospital beds was “directly contributing” to the crisis with both waiting lists and hospital emergency departments.

Professor Sadlier also praised the contribution made by “international doctors and all our international colleagues” in healthcare and criticised recent incidents of verbal and even physical abuse against health service staff based on their race, religion or ethnicity.

“The Irish health services and the people of this country are utterly dependent on the contribution of international doctors, nurses and support staff”, he said.  “The thugs who shout obscenities and physically threaten these colleagues bring shame to this country and their behaviour must never be tolerated or accepted.”

Professor Sadlier also emphasised the importance of contract negotiations currently underway with NCHDs; “it was encouraging to hear Ann O’Connor’s (HSE CEO) words of respect for NCHDs earlier today [at the AGM on Saturday] but we have heard similarly warm words in the past without making the progress necessary”. 

“Many years ago, I was part of the team that launched legal proceedings against the HSE over the European Working Time Directive – now the Organisation of Working Time Act.  I am truly saddened that NCHD working hours are still above legal working limits which is not only about the employer breaking the law but also unsafe for patients and doctors.”

DateSaturday, April 18th 2026

Time08:30AM

LocationO’Reilly Hall UCD

CPD6 CPD Points

GMS1 Day GMS Study Leave

Nominations have closed for doctors seeking election to the Medical Council for the next term, which will commence in June 2026.

The Council, which consists of 25 members, has a majority of non-medical members, with 13 non-medical members and 12 medical members.

Of these, six members are elected by their fellow registered medical practitioners, five are appointed by the Minister for Health, one being nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the remaining 13 are appointed by nominating bodies.

The current term of office of one of the directly elected members of the Medical Council is due to expire on 31 May 2026. This position, along with two existing vacancies on the Medical Council, are subject to an election process in accordance with the Medical Council’s election regulations.

The three members to be appointed following this election process must fall under the following categories:

• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to anaesthesia
• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to public health medicine
• One medical practitioner registered or able to be registered in the Specialist Division in relation to pathology or radiology

To be eligible for election a medical practitioner must be registered on the Specialist Division and practising medicine in the State (but excluding any visiting EEA practitioner) on the day preceding the last day for receiving nominations (13 January 2026) and must be in one in of three categories above.

Additionally, a registered medical practitioner must be nominated by 10 registered medical practitioners practising medicine in the State and meet the eligibility requirements set out in the election regulations

Following the close of the nominations period, the independent returning officer, Mr Fergus Gallagher, Dublin County Sheriff, has announced the candidates for election to the Medical Council.

“As the Returning Officer, I have reviewed the nominations received and have deemed the following candidates eligible for election in the following categories, in accordance with the Medical Practitioners Act 2007:

Specialist Division – Anaesthesia

Dr Brian Patrick Joseph O’Brien – Registration Number: 018422

Dr David Michael Honan – Registration Number: 013213

Dr Ehtesham Izhar Khan – Registration Number: 049848

Dr Georgina Flood – Registration Number: 321315

Dr Khalid Rasheed – Registration Number: 021642

Specialist Division – Public Health Medicine

Dr Mai Mannix, Registration Number: 011309

Dr Ina Mary Kelly, Registration Number: 011181

Mr Gallagher continued, “In the category of Specialist Division – Pathology or Radiology, one candidate has been nominated, Prof John Conor O’Keane, Registration Number: 008071, and as a result, this category will be filled in accordance with election regulations.”

All doctors who were on the Medical Council Register as at 12 noon on 23 January 2026 are eligible to vote. The voting opens today, 6 February, and closes at noon on 26 February 2026. All doctors are encouraged to make sure they have their say in the formation of the next Medical Council by voting.

Formal results will be declared after the election voting period concludes. 

Speaking today, Dr Maria O’Kane, CEO of the Medical Council, said: “The Medical Council plays a vital role in ensuring patient safety. Council members hold responsibility for making decisions and upholding principles that protect patients and support the highest standards of medical practice. This election provides a valuable opportunity for doctors to influence the future direction of the Medical Council by helping to select their representatives. I would urge all registered doctors to vote and have their say.

“We are fortunate to have a number of very strong candidates contesting the election, who have been nominated by their peers. This reflects the continued commitment within the profession to build on the progress achieved in recent years. I encourage all doctors to use their vote in the weeks ahead.”

To vote in the Medical Council Elections from 6 February 2026, all registered medical practitioners (as at 12 noon on 23 January 2026) will be entitled to vote electronically in the election. Further information is available on the Medical Council’s website.

A link will be sent by email to the email address recorded on their registration portal (by the cut-off date set out above).

The voting process is overseen by Mr Gallagher, the appointed independent returning officer. Results will be announced on 26 February 2026.

The newly appointed Council members will begin their term on 1 June 2026.

In its pre-Budget submission, the IMO has called for the establishment of a cross-departmental group to respond to the “chronic problem” of health inequality.

The Organisation said the establishment of a cross-departmental group was critically important to address the fact that people from deprived areas have “far worse” health outcomes that those from affluent areas.

It noted that over half the population who cannot afford private health insurance and rely on the public health system continue to “endure long waiting times to access hospital care”, while five per cent of the population report unmet medical need because of waiting lists.

Dr Anne Dee, IMO President and a public health consultant, said “a person’s health outcomes are based on a range of social and economic factors, with poverty one of the key contributors to poor health”.

“Health inequality is a chronic problem in Ireland, and requires an urgent and significant response from the Government to ensure that children have the best start in life and those in greatest need receive optimal public healthcare.”

She added that “successive governments have failed to sufficiently invest in both bed capacity and our medical workforce, resulting in year-round trolley and waiting list crises as we look to cater for a growing and ageing population with increasingly complex needs. The Government cannot continue to do the bare minimum when it comes to meeting that urgent demand.”

Other recommendations made by union, include a call for an increase in the number of new inpatient beds from 3,438 to 5,000, and the development and funding a comprehensive medical workforce plan with actions laid out to increase the number of consultants and training posts in line with workforce requirements.

The IMO also called for support for the reconstruction of the health service for the population of Gaza with dedicated funding. Dr Dee said the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has had a number of appalling effects, “not least the collapse of its healthcare system. The Government must set aside funding to help reconstruct that healthcare system.”

The Irish Society of Specialists in Public Health Medicine (ISSPHM) has called on the Taoiseach and Government to intensify efforts help alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza.

In a letter dated 7 August, ISSPHM Chair Dr Kenneth Beatty said public health doctors are “once again” urging the Taoiseach to “do more for the people of Gaza as a matter of grave urgency”.

Dr Beatty wrote that over “the last 22 months, we have watched helplessly as this catastrophic, man-made public health emergency has unfolded”.

“The civilian population in Gaza has been subject to military assault, bombings, repeated forced displacement, the destruction of housing, food and water supplies, and the relentless/repeated dismantling of healthcare services and infrastructure.”

He noted that there is evidence that starvation “is being used systematically as a weapon of war” by the state of Israel.

“The life-long public health impact of physical and psychological trauma, along with starvation particularly for the children who survive cannot be underestimated.”

Dr Beatty added that many healthcare workers in Gaza have been killed or injured in this conflict.

A total of 917 were killed in attacks as of May 2025, with 1406 injured, according to the World Health Organisation.

The ISSPHM said the Irish Government should use every diplomatic and political channel available to press for a permanent ceasefire and to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid can flow freely through established relief networks.

The letter also calls on the Government to advocate for “large-scale EU economic sanctions on the state of Israel”, as well as ceasing the issuing of licences “for the export of dual use goods to Israel”.

The Society states it is important to ensure “that procurement policies across all Government departments are aligned with human rights/International Court of Justice ruling perspectives.”

ISSPHM members have also been encouraged to send the letter to their local TDs on the issue.

The IMO has described the current situation in Gaza as “intolerable” and it requires “urgent international action”.

In a statement today, the Organisation noted that healthcare workers “are among those starving”, even while striving to treat the wounded and care for communities under “appalling” conditions.

“The health system in Gaza has collapsed,” the IMO said in its statement.  “Doctors are being forced to deliver care in conditions that defy belief. They are under constant threat, without adequate equipment, and often without electricity or clean water.”

Medical workers in Gaza have been injured or killed in the course of their work.

“The IMO expresses its deepest solidarity with healthcare workers in Gaza and their families and salutes their courage and commitment to their work.”

Noting that the UN has reported that the worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in Gaza, the IMO called for the “full and immediate” lifting of all barriers to humanitarian aid.

“Aid must be allowed to flow safely and freely through non-partisan and trusted international partners such as the UN. The deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid and targeting of aid sites is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and their protocols.”

In June the IMO President Dr Anne Dee wrote directly to the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, expressing “grave concern and fear” amid “mass starvation arising from a deliberate blockade of aid (by the State of Israel)”. In her letter, Dr Dee strongly criticised the actions of Israel.

“We are seeing blatant contraventions of international humanitarian law by the State of Israel, and I urge the Irish Government to do all in its power, nationally and through international organisations, to end this horror and to ensure that Israel honours its obligations under international law.”

She wrote that “we abhor the actions of Hamas and we call for the return of hostages and an immediate ceasefire. But what we are witnessing in Gaza at the moment is mass starvation arising from a deliberate blockade of aid through well-established partnerships, by the State of Israel.” 

The Irish Doctors Orchestra will be performing live at UCD Ad Astra Hall on Sunday 18 May. This unique fundraising concert will feature a 50-piece orchestra made up of doctors from across Ireland, playing scores from beloved movies — from heart-stopping thrillers to feel-good classics.

All proceeds will go to St James’s Hospital Foundation, which will be supporting arts and health programmes at St James’s with the proceeds — bringing joy, connection, and creativity to patients through the arts.

Dr Emily Boyle, a founding orchestra member and a Consultant Vascular Surgeon based in Dublin, highlighted what attendees at Ad Astra Hall can expect on the day.

“We will have professional violinist and conductor, Patrick Rafter, and a 50-piece orchestra on the night. The orchestra is a unique gathering of medics who love to play classical music and we are thrilled to support the St James’s Hospital Foundation and the Creative Life programme which enable so many patients and medical staff to gain access to the benefits of creativity, which is such a central part of life for all of us in the orchestra”.

Tickets can be purchased at: https://supportstjames.ie/2025/04/22/medics-at-the-movies/

To learn more about this performance, visit the Irish Doctors Orchestra website www.irishdo.com, Twitter page @irishdoctorsorc or Instagram @irishdoctorsorchestra