Sir, - We wish to commend Dr Orla Hardiman and her colleagues at the Irish Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (IINN) for their efforts to increase the awareness of neurological disease amongst the Irish population.
We are part of a group of expatriate neurologists working in various internationally-recognised neuroscience centres in North America and Europe. Through the work of the IINN, the public has been made aware of the increasing problem of waiting lists for specialist care in neurology. Meanwhile new and effective treatments are emerging for a variety of neurological conditions such as stroke, migraine, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease, all of which require specialist care.
In this age of growing public understanding of the impact of these disorders, we feel it is time for the Minister for Health and his colleagues in Government to address the manpower issues in neurology. - Yours, etc.,
C. Doherty MB MRCPI, S. Hutchinson MB MRCPI, P. Kelly MB MRCPI, G. O'Neill, MB MRCPI and V. Reid MB MRCPI, Harvard Med School,. Boston. M. Hennessy MB MRCPI and Y. Langan MB MRCPI, Institute of Neurology, London. M. McCarron MB MRCP, Institute of Neurology, Glasgow. S. Web MD MRCPI, Institute of Neuological Sciences, Glasgow. B. McNamara MB MRCPI, Cambridge University, UK. F. Molloy MB MRCPI, Bethesda, USA. K. Murphy MB MRCPI, University of Pennsylvania. C. O'Donovan, MB MRCPI, Wake-Forest University, Winston-Salem, USA.