Thirty-two candidates have been nominated from among the Medical Council's registered medical practitioners for the organisation's elections in April, when the current 25-member council steps down after its designated five-year term.
Only 10 members are directly elected by the medical profession. The others are appointed by medical teaching bodies and the Minister for Health and Children.
Each election candidate must be nominated by 10 other registered medical practitioners whose registration is current.
In June last year 16,060 doctors were registered with the council.
This year there are 14 candidates from Dublin; three each from Galway and Laois; two each from Donegal and Cork; and a single candidate each from Sligo, Kilkenny, Waterford, Louth, Cavan, Wexford, Kerry and Offaly.
Two of the 10 elected doctors must be consultants in general hospitals but not consultant psychiatrists.
Among those elected there must also be a consultant psychiatrist, a doctor working in community medicine, someone other than a consultant working in hospital practice and two GPs.
Every five years the entire council steps down, although members are entitled to two five-year terms.
The elections from among the council's registered doctors is by postal ballot, which starts next Monday and closes on March 18th.
Nine members of the council are appointed to represent the medical teaching bodies.
University College Cork, University College Dublin, NUI Galway, University of Dublin and Royal College of Surgeons each appoint one member.
The Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons also appoint two representatives each to represent the medical specialities of surgery, anaesthetics, radiology, pathology, obstetrics and gynaecology.
Two members are appointed by the Minister for Health and Children to represent psychiatry and general medical practice.
The Minister also appoints a further four people, including three lay people, to represent the interests of the general public.
Medical Council candidates:
Bajwa, Saud Khawar (University Hospital Galway); Blunnie, William P. (Mater Hospital, Dublin); Bonner, Colette Jane (Eastern Regional Health Authority); Bredin, Hugh Cyril (University College Hospital Galway); Callaghan, Brian (Letterkenny General Hospital); Chalikonda, Venkat Ram Prasad (Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway); Clare, Anne Teresa (Dept. Public Health Medicine, UCD); Corrigan, Geraldine (Dept. Psychiatry, Letterkenny General Hospital); Cunningham, Anthony J. (RCSI Education and Research Centre, Beaumont); Egan, Jim (Mater Hospital); Eppel, Ellard Wulf (Terenure); Healy, John Brendan (Sligo General Hospital); Hillery, John Anthony (Stewart's Hospital, Palmerstown); Hogan, Miriam (St Anthony's Newpark, Kilkenny); Hurley, Michael Francis (Dept. of Clinical Radiology, Cork University Hospital); Ishtiaq, Asam (Dept of Surgery, Waterford Regional Hospital); Keane-Conway, Frances (Health Centre, Dublin Rd, Portlaoise); Lennon, Finbar (Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Drogheda); Maha Lingam, K (Sth Terrace Medical Centre, Infirmary Rd Cork); Mahon, Martin (Dept. Adult Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park); Manning, Patrick John (Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin); McGuiness, Eamon PJ (St James and Coombe hospitals); McMurray, George Noel (Cavan General Hospital); Murphy, Adrian (Sth Western Area Health Board, Cherry Orchard Hospital, Ballyfermot); O'Donoghue, Catherine (Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum); Pidgeon, Christopher (Beaumont Private Clinic); Quigley, Colm (Wexford General Hospital); Rasool, Sohail (Midlands Surgery, Midlands Prison, Portlaoise); Ruane, Bernard (Tralee); Stokes, Helena (Tullamore); Sugrue, Declan (Mater Hospital); Warde, Barry (Dept. of Anaesthesia, Portlaoise).