Madam, - The tirade by Mary Raftery in her column of July 27th tells us more about her intense dislike of doctors than it does about the Irish Medical Council and the proposals to change it.
The truth is that the Medical Council has served the Irish people well over the years. The council received 1,241 complaints in the five-year period from 1999 to 2003. A total of 104 inquiries were held into doctors' fitness to practice and, in addition, 24 High Court orders were sought to remove doctors from the medical register in the same period. The Medical Council has always put the public interest first.
Following a particularly shocking case of malpractice (on which the Medical Council acted entirely properly), the Tánaiste and the Department of Health are seeking to harness public opinion to allow them to take on extraordinary powers.
If the new Medical Practitioners Bill comes into law, Ireland will be the only Western democracy in which people appointed by a Minister will be able to overrule medical opinion on matters such as the quality of education of doctors and specialists, the registration of doctors and the setting and maintenance of professional standards.
I ask readers to take a moment of calm reflection. First, reflect on the GPs, specialists and other medical practitioners who have looked after you and your family over the years. Second, look at the track record of councils and boards appointed by Ministers for their own political and personal reasons. Now, consider in which you would place your trust, in terms of both integrity and competence. - Yours, etc ,
DONAL DUFFY, Assistant Secretary General, Irish Hospital Consultants Association, Dublin 14.