Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is to write to the Department of Health calling for an investigation into why consultant general surgeons are paid less in Northern Ireland than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK, and for action to be taken to address the position as a matter of urgency.

The disclosure came as the struggle continues to recruit consultant general surgeons, which led to the suspension of services at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Previously the Council had written to the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) enquiring whether radiology consultants appointed through international recruitment are to be based at the SWAH.

A response from the Western Trust’s Chief Executive, Neil Guckian, confirmed one international recruit has arrived and is based at the SWAH.

Two further international recruits are also expected for the SWAH, one at the beginning of May, and the other towards the end of June.

While welcoming this, Councillor Josephine Deehan, Independent, remarked: “That is progress, but the prospect of recruiting consultant general surgeons is very difficult.

“Unfortunately, the pay offered in Northern Ireland to consultant general surgeons is below that in Great Britain.

“We have often wondered why it has proved so difficult to recruit to a wonderful place like Fermanagh and the state-of-the-art SWAH.

“The fact is, no-one is going to move to Northern Ireland to take a pay cut, and that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency,” she concluded.

She proposed bringing this anomaly to the attention of the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, Peter May, and “asking him to investigate why this situation has arisen, and appraise him of the negative impact on consultant recruitment – not just in the SWAH, but throughout Northern Ireland – and explore how this inequity can be redressed”.

This was seconded by Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, CCLA, and passed unanimously.