Madam, - In a perfect world, all Irish doctors would be highly skilled and up-to-date, would get along well with all of their patients and would never make mistakes. For their part, patients would never make spurious or unfounded complaints against their doctors. In this ideal world of which I speak, the legal profession would thirst for justice and right, and journalists would be concerned only to find out the truth, however uncomfortable or complex it may be.
Until we achieve this Utopia, an entirely transparent complaints process as envisaged by Mary Raftery (Opinion, July 27th) has the potential to root out the few doctors who are negligent at the expense of destroying the careers of others who are perfectly competent.
Whatever about the "power" of the medical profession and how best to dismantle it, complete transparency cannot serve the interests of truth and justice unless other vested interests, including the press, are subject to the same degree of scrutiny and potential sanction. Doctor may not know best, but neither do the hacks or the lawyers. - Yours, etc,
Dr ANDREW LEARY, Ballysaggartbegmore, Lismore, Co Waterford.