The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has urged University Hospital Galway (UHG) to life a 'gag' on consultants making public comments.

Hospital management at the hospital where Savita Halappanavar died has written to consultants stipulating that they must get prior clearance before making public comments.

The IHCA, however, has written to both senior executives, saying there is no provision in a consultant's contract to check with their employer before they make a public comment, according to the Irish Independent.

The Association said consultants had an ethical, legal and moral obligation to advocate on behalf of their patients.

The hospital said it had recently reminded consultants that when giving press statements or speaking to the media using their title as a member of staff of the group, it was essential that permission had been received prior to proceeding, as the organisation had a duty of care to patients and the public.

"Consultants were also reminded that this request should in no way be considered as a restriction on their right to speak as an individual about any clinical topic," the hospital said.

Recently, it was reported that UHG ordered one of its surgeons not to speak to the media after he co-wrote a research study with a colleague that questioned the value of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs in people without pre-existing heart disease.