Almost half of the consultant workforce is now on the new public-only consultant contract, the Minister for Health has said.
He told the annual conference of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) that there are now 2,100 specialists on the new contract.
There are around 4,300 consultants in the system.
As more consultants are recruited, or switch to the new contract, private activity in the public system will cease, the minister said.
He added that the new contract will result in more patients being seen, with more outpatient clinics and theatre lists operating, including in the evenings and at weekends.
Mr Donnelly said that, since 2020, the number of consultants has risen by nearly a third, which has increased the consultant workforce by more than 1,000.
He added that the goal of getting to 6,000 consultants by 2030 is on target, adding that this will bring Ireland to around the OECD average in terms of consultants per capita.
Minister Donnelly said that there are far too many people waiting for care and far too many people on trolleys.
He told the conference that, so far this year, there has been a 12% increase in the numbers attending emergency departments, compared to the same period last year.
But he said that, in spite of this, the number of patients on trolleys has fallen by more than 10%.
An hour or less of social media daily
At the conference today, the IMO also called for more moderate usage of social media citing strong evidence that heavy use can lead to greater levels of negative wellbeing.
Consultant psychiatrist Prof Matthew Sadlier suggested that use should be from about a half an hour to an hour a day.
Separately, the union has said that the introduction of physician associates (PA) in Ireland must not be used to mask the shortage of doctors.
The union wants the emerging grade to be clearly defined and regulated, given controversy in the UK following cases of patients being treated by physician associates, which patients wrongly believed were doctors.
To qualify as a PA, a graduate from a health science-related subject must undergo a two-year programme. However, the PA is not a medical graduate.
