The Health Minister says the health service is "way behind" in recruiting consultants.
A new €350 million plan to tackle waiting lists has been launched - aiming to cut them by 20% before the end of the year.
It includes a target to treat the 75,000 people on inpatient and day case waiting lists this year.
Minister Stephen Donnelly says addressing the shortage of consultants will be important to achieving those aims:
"We don't just need a few more. We're not just a little bit behind - we're way behind. So there's a really big piece of work to be done to grow the consultant body, which requires the new contract. I met with the IMO and the IHCA privately in the last week with a view to the next round of talks. And I'd like to see that in place quickly and I'd like to see the talks concluded quickly."
