Senior doctors could be paid up to €252,000 a year, under a new public-only consultant contract expected to be approved by cabinet this morning.
Under the new deal, consultants will be expected to work at least 37 hrs a week between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Saturday.
While private patients will no longer be treated by public consultants in hospital according to the Irish Examiner.
Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Systems at DCU, says it may not be an attractive offer for all doctors:
"This may be an attractive contrast to some existing hotels, but I think it is a large private practice. It might not be so attractive. So, the hospital's point of view, the hospitals gained significant income from private patient care where decides income go."
