An investigation into a complaint against a consultant psychiatrist will be complete in a few weeks, the South Eastern Health Board has said.
Dr John Harding-Price was struck off the UK medical register following complaints by three women patients, but was recently cleared to work here by the Medical Council. He was cleared by the \ Fitness to Practise Committee in March. His suspension, imposed by the High Court in January 2001 pending a Medical Council inquiry, has since been lifted.
While he was under suspension in the UK he worked as a locum at St Canice's Hospital, Kilkenny and St Luke's Hospital, Clonmel.
During this period, the Medical Council here knew of his suspension but did not tell the South Eastern Health Board. It maintains the SEHB should have checked the UK medical register itself.
This was the subject of a report prepared for the Minister for Health and Children by Ms Maureen Lynott, which was published this week.
The Medical Council said yesterday that its Fitness to Practise Committee had held an inquiry into the allegations which led to Dr Harding-Price being struck off in the UK. The registrar, Mr Brian Lea, said when a doctor was struck off in another jurisdiction, the Medical Council here has to rehear the entire case. The only exception was where a doctor was convicted of an indictable offence in the other jurisdiction. It had been unable to rehear the entire case because the women who made the complaints in the UK would not travel to Dublin.
The complaint currently being investigated by the SEHB was made by the family of a woman patient at St Luke's Hospital.
It was brought to the Mid-Western Health Board by Fine Gael councillor for North Tipperary Mr Noel Coonan. Mr Coonan said yesterday the health board passed the complaint to the South Eastern Health Board in January. He accused the SEHB of failing to respond to the complaint until he went public. Yesterday, the SEHB would make no comment other than to say it was conducting an investigation and would have a report ready "within the next few weeks".
Dr Harding-Price, speaking from Dublin Airport, said no papers had been sent to him on the complaint and that it was from an unnamed person.
Cllr Coonan said full particulars, including names, had been given to the health board.
Dr Harding-Price said he hoped to work in Irish hospitals again. His appeal against being struck off the UK register has been rejected by the Privy Council and he has now appealed to the European Court.