The Government is set to proceed with the new hospital consultants contract in February.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly intends on pushing ahead with the new contract within the first half of next month, following indications from representative groups that they will have completed their consideration of the contract by then.
The public-only contract will be offered to new entrants, while existing consultants will be able to decide if they want to switch to the new contract, as reported by The Irish Times this morning.
The proposed contract was finalised in December after extensive negotiations. It seeks to extend the core working hours consultants will be asked to work.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that while a consultation process continues with representative groups, it was important to have a contract that was "fit for purpose" and ensures that there are more consultants working in hospitals.
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Speaking at the opening of a sports project in Banteer in Co Cork today, Ms Humphreys said that the Government expects the consultation period will conclude at the end of this month.
"I know that Minister Donnelly is working very hard to try and find a contract that's acceptable to everybody," she said.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) is currently discussing the proposed contract with its members and intends on outlining its position on the contract to the Department of Health by the end of this month.
In a statement to RTÉ News, the IMO said that it is seeking clarification on a number of areas and "pending receipt of clarification, our process with members will conclude on week commencing 30th January".
It added that "we expect that the Department of Health will respect that the process has not concluded and will not offer out the proposed new contract in advance of our response".
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is also considering the proposed consultants' contract.
It has warned that its members be given "appropriate time to fully evaluate the proposal", adding that over the past few weeks consultants and other medical professionals have been working to combat "extreme levels of overcrowding in our emergency departments".
The IHCA said that a number of important issues still need to be addressed to "ensure any proposed contract will reduce patient waiting times and address the consultant recruitment and retention crisis".
While the IHCA has not stated when it intends on concluding its considerations, it is understood that the association is in the final stages of the process.
Dr Rob Landers, Clinical Director at Waterford Regional Hospital and President of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association said that his group intend to have a verdict on the new consultant contracts at the end of February.
Speaking on RTÉ's Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin, he said that there was an unprecedented demand in hospitals from December, and so medical staff did not have as much time to consider the proposal and are still in the detailed phase of consulting with members.
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"We are at the 11th hour in these discussions and there are still items that need to be looked at," Dr Landers said.
He added that he hopes the department and minister do not press on, as there is room for "more collaborative discussion" and consultants are willing and able to come to the table.
Dr Landers said that one in four consultant posts are vacant across the system, while 3,000 to 4,000 beds are needed and the number of consultants here is at 40% of the EU average.
Speaking on the same programme, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Peter Burke said that measures are being implemented in the health service to improve the situation of staffing.
The Fine Gael TD for Longford/Westmeath said this was a very difficult time across the healthcare system and for patients who are "not getting the quality of care that they deserve".
"We are faced with a lethal cocktail of Covid, RSV and a very strong strain of flu and that is challenging health services right around the world," Mr Burke said.
He added that Minister Donnelly is working with the HSE on an operational level with the health service and that the Government health budget for 2023 is €23.4 billion, which is a record investment in terms of building up permanent capacity.
