The Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has said a long drawn-out process of talks with hospital consultants on a new contract would not be in the interest of patients.
The IHCA has said it will not be tied to a deadline for the completion of talks with the Government on a new contract.
Negotiations are taking place today following recommendations last night by the council of the association after a dispute over medical lawsuit cover was resolved.
The Government has agreed that the State will pick up more of the cost of malpractice awards against certain doctors, making their private insurance more affordable.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association in Galway, Ms Harney said extra hospital beds would not be put in place for the sake of it and agreed that community services needed to be developed.
She was responding to earlier comments by Professor Brendan Drumm, Head of the HSE, who said he did not believe there was a need for thousands of additional hospital beds as proposed.
Meanwhile, IHCA President, Dr Josh Keaveny, has claimed the Government is trying to load all of the health service ills on the consultants' contract.
He said it was disingenuous for the Government to suggest that consultants were unwilling to change their practices.
He told the conference that if Ireland was in line with the EU average, the health service would have 5,500 more beds.
The association wants a significant increase in the number of consultants appointed as well as extra nurses.
