More than 400 consultants have signed up to the new public only contract, according to new figures obtained by RTÉ News.
Of the 418 consultants that have accepted the new contract, 293 are existing consultants that have moved over from their previous contract and 125 are newly appointed consultants.
The new contract was introduced in March by the Government and is the only contract available for new consultants, offering a basic salary ranging from €209,000 to €252,000.
All new consultants taking up post with the Health Service Executive are on the new contract.
The HSE said it is seeing a steady increase in the numbers each week.
It recruits around 400-500 consultants each year for replacement posts and new posts.
There are over 3,800 consultants working in the public system.
This year, the HSE launched an international marketing campaign to recruit consultants to work in Ireland, on the new deal.
In June, it launched a specific campaign in the UK and Australia to target doctors originally from Ireland.
Earlier this year, most members of the Irish Medical Organisation in a ballot indicated they would not move to the new contract and a survey by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association also showed large opposition.
Under the new contract, consultants can be rostered to work on a Saturday.
Consultants can do private work but away from their public hospital site and in their own time.
The IMO has given "a cautious welcome" to the news that 125 new consultants have been appointed under the terms of the new consultants' contract.
But it warned that the number was only a fraction of the number of new consultants that the Irish health service requires.
Professor Matthew Sadlier, Chairman of the IMO Consultants Committee, said that there were still over 900 vacant consultant posts, and the service was short 2,000 consultants based on the current population.
He said that it was a very personal and individual decision for existing consultants to decide if they wish to move to the new contract.
