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News: July 2007

Former IMO industrial relations director to head McElwee inquiry

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 |

The former Director of Industrial Relations at the Irish Medical Organisation, Mr Conal Devine, has been named by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as the Independent Chairman for the McElwee Review. Dr Niall McElwee resigned his post as a childcare... Read more

Financial results to be supplied

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Health Management, Hospital Medicine

All co-located hospitals shall be contractually required to provide financial results to the Health Service Executive (HSE) upon request, Irish Medical Times has learned. Concern had recently been raised that, like other private hospitals in Ireland, providers could put co-located... Read more

Training DVD to combat infection

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Public Health, Research and Education

The Health Management Institute (HMI)– which represents professionals involved in the management of healthcare in Ireland– has launched a new training DVD to help stem the spread of infection in healthcare settings. The DVD, produced in collaboration with management consultants... Read more

New chairman is appointed to the Irish Kidney Association

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Public Health

The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) has appointed a new Chairman, Mr Paul Donohoe. Mr Donohue, who replaces Ms Vera Frisby, said he will focus on improvements in respite care and an expansion of out-of-hospital dialysis services. “I would like to... Read more

New president of Medical Council to push voluntary CA

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Regulation

Dr Colm Quigley, the new President of the Medical Council– the last Council to operate under the existing Medical Practitioner’s Act– has told Irish Medical Times that he would aggressively push voluntary competence assurance in the months ahead. Dr Quigley... Read more

Performance incentives rejected by consultants

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has rejected the concept of performance incentives in the contract negotiations, calling them inappropriate, Irish Medical Times has been told. Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, Secretary General of the IHCA, said the proposal by the Minister... Read more

Co-location creates risk of healthcare inflation

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | Private Healthcare

There has been no contact between Vhi and developers of co-located hospitals, and there is no guarantee the hospitals will be approved by the insurer, the Chief Executive of Vhi has told Irish Medical Times. Mr Vincent Sheridan also suggested... Read more

Icelandic case exemplary in determining 'impartiality'

Ed Madden | 27 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

Sara Lind Eggertsdóttir was born at the National and University (State) Hospital in Reykjavík on 5 March 1998. Soon after her birth, it became clear that Sara was severely handicapped both physically and mentally; her disability was assessed at 100... Read more

Empathy in medicine: optional extra or necessary principle?

Dr Miriam Kennedy | 27 July 2007 | Research and Education

“I do not know a single thoughtful person who does not feel that the tragedy of illness is that it delivers you helplessly into the hands of a profession which you deeply mistrust”- George Bernard Shaw. While Shaw’s sentiments may... Read more

New Naas centre to be first of several

Greg Baxter | 27 July 2007 | General Practice

A new private primary care centre in Naas, Co Kildare, planned to open in about a year, will provide a large, one-stop medical centre for patients in catchment areas around Dublin. The Vista Primary Care Centre, a €25 million facility... Read more

'Teething problems' behind early release

Ian McGuinness | 27 July 2007 | Public Health

Teething problems are one reason advanced by the new Chairman of the Mental Health Commission for the number of involuntarily detained psychiatric patients released before they receive a mental health tribunal hearing into their case. Dr Edmond O’Dea, responding to... Read more

Consultant recruitment is job of HSE- O'Dea

Ian McGuinness | 27 July 2007 | Health Management

Responsibility for employing enough consultant psychiatrists for mental health services lies firmly with the Health Service Executive (HSE), the recently appointed Chairman of the Mental Health Commission has said. Speaking to Irish Medical Times, Dr Edmond O’Dea said that when... Read more

Irish children had a lesser chance of cancer survival

Ian McGuinness | 27 July 2007 | Research and Education

Survival of Hodgkin’s disease among children in the Republic of Ireland was significantly lower than in the United States of America between 1994 and 2000, according to a recently published piece of research. The paper, Childhood Cancer in Ireland: a... Read more

Vaccine introduction unlikely any time soon

Sandra Ryan | 27 July 2007 | Public Health

The new Fine Gael spokesperson on health Deputy Brian Hayes has said he believes it is unlikely the vaccine to prevent pneumoccocal disease will be introduced any time soon, as the Minister for Health is “dragging her feet” on the... Read more

IMB welcomes legal action on steroids

Sandra Ryan | 27 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

A man has received a two-year prison sentence for illegally selling anabolic steroids, with 20 months suspended, after being found to be in breach of the Medicinal Products Regulations. Mr Brian Wainstain was uncovered by the Gardaí and the Irish... Read more

Views on harvesting of organs invited by Govt

Sandra Ryan | 27 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

Doctors are being asked for their views on legislation being drafted by the Department of Health to govern post-mortem practices, and the handling and disposing of human tissue. The move is part of a national consultation process following last year’s... Read more

Taking care of business for the sake of players

Ian McGuinness | 27 July 2007 | Interviews

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) didn’t seek Department of Health or Health Service Executive (HSE) funding for its recent initiative on automated external defibrillators because it decided to press ahead with the process on its own, Dr Tadhg Crowley explained.... Read more

Medical surgery plan for Lusk is given green light

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Planning and Development

Newly elected Fine Gael TD for Dublin North, and local general practitioner, Dr James Reilly, has applied for planning permission for an external sign on the medical centre in Station Road in Lusk. The application was submitted on 3 July.... Read more

Hillery is criticised for political affinity with FF

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 |

The former president of the Medical Council and current Seanad candidate has defended his political affinity with Fianna Fail– and the decision to embrace the support of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern– following criticism that his political affiliation could harm the independent... Read more

Representing the council's views is president's job

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 |

A candidate for president of the Medical Council has told Irish Medical Times that the president should represent the views of the Council and not put forward his or her own opinions. Mr Brendan Healy, Chair of the Council’s Fitness... Read more

Lack of co-operation causes longer waits

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 | Hospital Medicine

A lack of close co-operation between the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and four public hospitals is the reason those hospitals have the largest number of patients waiting more than a year for surgery. Of the nearly 15,000 adult patients... Read more

Detailed Irish opiate study is underway

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Research and Education

A new study looking at opiate use throughout the Republic has begun and is expected to be complete by February or March of next year, according to the bio-statistician in charge of the research. Dr Alan Kelly, of Trinity College’s... Read more

Nursing homes need to recruit inspectors

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

There is only one team conducting nursing home inspections in the Health Service Executive’s Dublin North East region, it has emerged. The information was released by the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, in response to a question from Fine Gael’s... Read more

IBTS upgrades its hepatitis testing

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Public Health

Tests for HIV and Hep C are to be upgraded by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), while screening for Hep B will also be introduced at the organisation’s Dublin headquarters. The IBTS has a laboratory on its James’s Street... Read more

Travellers' health study underway

Sandra Ryan | 20 July 2007 | Public Health, Research and Education

A study on Travellers’ health status promised by the Department of Health in 2002 is finally underway and will conduct, for the first time, a census on Travellers to determine their life expectancy. The All-Ireland Traveller Health study is a... Read more

Golfers fear hospital will eclipse course

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Planning and Development

A golf club has told the local council of its fears that golfers could be affected by plans for an eight-storey inpatient ward building at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin 4. An architect’s letter, on behalf of the Elm... Read more

HSE is pushing ahead to buy equipment for cancer care

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is pushing ahead with the purchase of linear accelerators and CT simulators for the radiation oncology facilities that will be located at Beaumont and St James’s hospitals. In the current phase of the development both... Read more

Locums will need better clarification on register

Sandra Ryan | 20 July 2007 | Regulation

Confusion still surrounds how the new Medical Practitioner’s Act will affect doctors working in Ireland without specific specialist training, particularly GP locums. The Medical Council are currently discussing the issue with the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), Irish Medical... Read more

Managers' imperative to provide locum cover

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Labour Relations Commission agrees with the Irish Medical Organisation about employers’ obligations to providing locums. Dr John Morris, the IMO NCHD Committee Chairman, said: “What we have we hold. Current arrangements, as we have since 1986, stand.” He said... Read more

Progress in the NCHD blood disease dispute

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

Junior doctor talks are on the verge of a breakthrough on blood borne diseases, according to the Chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation’s NCHD Committee, Dr John Morris. The Galway-based GP trainee said: “Hopefully we are on the brink of... Read more

Medical cards are not distributed in an even fashion

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

Six counties lost full medical cards in the last month, even though the number in circulation rose by over 3,000 throughout the Republic. Laois, Longford, Westmeath, Donegal, Leitrim and Kerry all saw small reductions in the number of full medical... Read more

HSE clarifies criteria for primary care team

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has defined what it means by a primary care team ‘in operation’ compared to a team ‘in development’. A primary care team must meet four criteria in order to define the team as ‘in operation’,... Read more

No tribunal in 995 cases

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

Nearly a thousand involuntarily detained psychiatric patients were released before they got a mental health tribunal hearing into their case, according to latest statistics. Since the Mental Health Act 2001 came fully into operation on 1 November last, until the... Read more

Sex education for teens to discourage pregnancy

Sandra Ryan | 20 July 2007 | Public Health

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) is investing about half a million euro this year in improving sex education for young people, in order to encourage a decline in teenage births. According to Chairperson of the CPA, Ms Katherine Bulbulia, although... Read more

Brothers of Charity to overhaul service

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

The Brothers of Charity, which provides services for those with intellectual disability and their families, have been restructured to reflect the reality of the organisation’s work. The Health Service Executive, which is the main funder of the service, employs the... Read more

Parents appeal son's wardship

Ed Madden | 20 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

Sometime after his birth on 26 April 1982, Francis Dolan was diagnosed as suffering from cerebral palsy. Francis, through his mother Bernadette, instituted medical negligence proceedings alleging that the cerebral palsy resulted from negligence on the part of his doctors.... Read more

A grand old dame who is not going down without a fight

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 20 July 2007 | Features

There is an idea that old people’s homes should be in sheltered areas where there is peace and quiet. This is a big mistake because it means that elderly people are tucked away from humanity’s hub which will increase their... Read more

The surge of diabetes in Ireland

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 | Health Management, Public Health

The huge increase in the prevalence of diabetes predicted last week by an Institute of Public Health report has raised concerns that the growth in the number of dialysis patients estimated in the Renal Strategy Review is conservative. The prediction... Read more

Modernisation is a must for Dublin‘s maternity hospitals

Sandra Ryan | 20 July 2007 | Hospital Medicine

In the past 10 or more years, dozens of health reviews and service reports have been published by the Government, and more recently, by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Some of these reports are famed for gathering dust while waiting... Read more

Closer collaboration with patients

Colin Kerr | 20 July 2007 | Interviews

Dave Shanahan says his decision to leave his job as Managing Director of Pfizer Healthcare Ireland to join the Charter Medical Group as Group Chief Executive Officer was not a difficult one. Although Charter Medical is not a small operation,... Read more

Resources and staff are imperatives for maternity hospitals

Sandra Ryan | 20 July 2007 | Health Management, Hospital Medicine

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been called on to retain all services in Dublin’s three maternity hospitals– which are three of the busiest in Europe with over 8,000 deliveries each per year– following the ongoing review to decide the... Read more

115 primary care posts are unfilled

Ian McGuinness | 20 July 2007 | Health Management

The 300 allied healthcare workers’ posts that were funded last year as part of the development of primary care teams have not all been filled, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE said 185 posts, that were funded... Read more

Shortage of urologists is declared a 'disgrace'

Greg Baxter | 20 July 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The unacceptably low numbers of urologists in Ireland has resulted in a serious problem in the training of junior doctors, a consultant urologist and Medical Council member has told Irish Medical Times. Mr Hugh Bredin said the shortage of publicly... Read more

Capping of hospital profits is not realistic

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Health Management, Private Healthcare

The Irish Medical Organisation might be naive in accepting the for-profit model of hospital co-location, Prof Risteárd Mulcahy has said. The prominent consultant cardiologist proposed a motion, passed at this year’s IMO AGM, which opposed for-profit co-located hospitals. Nonetheless, he... Read more

Development at Mount Carmel gets permission

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Planning and Development

A large development by Harlequin Healthcare at Mount Carmel Hospital has been given planning permission by the local council, although that decision could still be appealed to An Bord Pleanála. There were 20 objections and observations to the proposal, according... Read more

Archaeological findings may delay construction

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Planning and Development

Any archaeological discoveries during construction work for an MRI research building at St James’s Hospital could slow down work on that project. A decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission for the facility, had four conditions attached to... Read more

Oncology centres delayed construction

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Health Management

It has been officially confirmed that the four large radiation oncology centres and two satellite venues planned under the Hollywood report will not be finished until mid-2014. Earlier this year it was reported that Health Service Executive (HSE) documents showed... Read more

Pay increases unsure if contract talks fail

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

It is unclear whether, or when, GPs can claim a bench-marking pay increase, if primary care contract negotiations fail to reach an agreement. The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) recently pointed out that, according to the separate June 2005 agreement reached... Read more

HSE unresponsive to Hillery’s appeal

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 | Health Management

Dr John Hillery said it was unfortunate the Health Service Executive (HSE) has not answered his call for two key gestures to repair its relationship with the profession. Dr Hillery, who is running for a seat in the Seanad, has... Read more

Detentions revoked by consultants

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Medico-Legal, Regulation

More involuntarily detained psychiatric patients are still being released by consultant psychiatrists than by mental health tribunals, according to new statistics. Mental Health Commission figures show that since November 2006, when the Mental Health Act 2001 came into operation, until... Read more

HSE voices concern over disregard of regulations

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Health Management, Regulation

Psychiatric institutions are not complying with regulations issued by the Mental Health Commission on involuntarily detained patients, Irish Medical Times has learned. As a result, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has asked its local health managers to ensure that all... Read more

Maternity hospital move could be advantageous

Sandra Ryan | 13 July 2007 | Health Management, Hospital Medicine

One of the three Dublin maternity hospitals will soon find out if it is joining the new National Paediatric Hospital on the Mater Hospital site in Dublin, with recommendations from the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) ongoing review into maternity services... Read more

Statins are effective, say IHF

Sandra Ryan | 13 July 2007 | Public Health

The President of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) Prof Eoin O’Brien has advised doctors to remind patients on the statin, Lipitor of the benefits of the drug. He did so after an inquest last week into the death of a... Read more

Hopes that UK terrorist attack will not kindle discrimination

Sandra Ryan | 13 July 2007 |

Non-EU doctors working in Ireland should not be worried about any backlash from the recent terrorist attack in Scotland– after which two Muslim hospital doctors working for the NHS were arrested– according to the Chair of the Non-EU Doctors Committee... Read more

IHCA set to 'tease out' issues before negotiations begin

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) will meet contract talks chairman Mr Mark Connaughton in bilateral discussions three times in July and possibly again in August, the Secretary General of the IHCA told Irish Medical Times. Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick said... Read more

IMO not in favour of hospital co-location

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Health Management, Private Healthcare

The Irish Medical Organisation is not supporting co-location of hospitals, two of its most prominent members have said. Its Vice President, Dr Martin Daly, said that, notwithstanding the deep reservations the IMO has about the policy, it is part of... Read more

Beacon chosen for co-location development

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 | Private Healthcare

Beacon Medical Group is the big winner in the Health Service Executive’s (HSE’s) hospital co-location plan. Beacon was picked to develop three proposed sites, and provide 483 lucrative beds, as part of the HSE’s Co-located Private Hospitals Project.... Read more

IMO challenges the HSE's primary care team number claim

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Health Management

The Chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation’s GP Committee has challenged the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) claim that there are 97 “fully functioning” primary care teams. Ms Bernadette Kiberd, the HSE’s Programme Manager for its Primary Care Transformation Support Unit,... Read more

Presidency is expected to be closely contested

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 |

Dr Colm Quigley and Dr Brendan Healy are vying for the presidency of the Medical Council in what is expected be to a close-fought election. Only council members will vote and not the wider body of doctors. Dr Quigley, Vice-President... Read more

HSE plan to roll out new HR and payroll system

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 | Information Technology

The Health Service Executive’s (HSE’s) Director of Human Resources, Mr Martin McDonald, has been given responsibility for the roll-out of the comprehensive national HR management information and payroll system, the successor of the Personnel, Payroll and Related Systems (PPARS) project.... Read more

RCPI plans to back the recruitment of extra consultants

Sandra Ryan | 13 July 2007 | Health Management

The new President of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) Dr John Donohoe says the college plans to back the Minister for Health’s plan to recruit hundreds of new consultants under the terms of the current consultant contract,... Read more

Fine Gael TD criticises Vhi clinics

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 |

Dublin GP and Fine Gael TD Dr James Reilly has told Irish Medical Times that the proposed new Vhi Swiftcare clinic in Swords is not in the interest of primary care development in the region. He welcomed the additional capacity... Read more

Needle risk downplayed

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 |

A large number of low-risk needlestick injuries experienced by trainee surgeons in Ireland are going unreported, an expert in the area has told Irish Medical Times. Prof Ronan O’Connell, a colorectal surgeon at the Mater Hospital, said a lack of... Read more

IMO supports co-location with caveats

Ian McGuinness | 13 July 2007 | Private Healthcare

The history of the Irish Medical Organisation’s (IMO) stance on co-location is not straightforward. The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, announced her co-location policy in July 2005. The premise was that by creating up to 10 hospitals, with 100 beds... Read more

Learning from the very best

Greg Baxter | 13 July 2007 | Interviews

A week in the life of Dr Brian Hennessy– an attending medical oncologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas– is something that would make most doctors here extremely envious. Dr Hennessy is a graduate of University College... Read more

Involuntary detention found admissible in the High Court

Ed Madden | 13 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

On 25 April 2007, an application was made under the provisions of the Mental Health Act, 2001 to have an adult male admitted to St Brendan’s Hospital in Dublin as an involuntary patient; the applicant was a sister of the... Read more

IHCA to begin bilateral contract discussions

Greg Baxter | 06 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is set to meet contract talks chairman Mr Mark Connaughton this week and begin bilateral discussions next week. IHCA Secretary General Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick told Irish Medical Times that he expected bilateral meetings to... Read more

New proposal for inner city practices

Colin Kerr | 06 July 2007 | General Practice

The ratio of GPs to patients in north inner city Dublin is much poorer than in other areas of Ireland and will get worse unless the Health Service Executive (HSE) supports the establishment of a primary care team working in... Read more

Well Woman Centre criticises outsourcing of smear tests

Sandra Ryan | 06 July 2007 | Health Management

The Well Woman Centre has criticised the Health Service Executive (HSE) for sending cervical smear tests to the US, as it has resulted in the chance of cervical cancer going undetected in some patients. In its annual report for 2006,... Read more

Doctors waste time by telling patients about their personal lives

Greg Baxter | 06 July 2007 | General Practice

Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that primary care doctors waste a lot of time telling patients about themselves. The study, published last month, studied 100 primary care physicians in Rochester, New York. The doctors agreed... Read more

HSE states more primary care teams in operation

Ian McGuinness | 06 July 2007 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has claimed that there are 87 “fully functioning” primary care teams and another 10 “fully functioning” primary care team sites. The claim was made by the HSE’s Programme Manager of its Primary Care Transformation Support... Read more

New methadone replacement drug restricted

Sandra Ryan | 06 July 2007 | Public Health

An alternative to methadone that is harder for patients to abuse has still not been made readily available in Ireland, despite evidence that it is ideal for certain patients who are unsuited to methadone. Suboxone, launched last February, contains buprenorphine... Read more

Alcohol tests for drivers have recently increased

Greg Baxter | 06 July 2007 | Regulation

The Medical Bureau of Road Safety tested 14,051 blood, urine and breath specimens in 2005– a 15 per cent increase on the number of specimens analysed in 2004, according to the bureau’s recently published 2005 annual report. The number of... Read more

Roster dispute ends up in Labour Court

Ian McGuinness | 06 July 2007 | Industrial Relations

A row over rosters at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire ended up in the Labour Court. The court recommended an independent expert should assist in immediate talks to resolve the dispute. The row involved 34 healthcare assistants, who... Read more

IMO denies u-turn on co-location policy

Ian McGuinness | 06 July 2007 | Private Healthcare

The Irish Medical Organisation has denied its latest declaration of support for co-located hospitals, with safeguards attached, is a policy u-turn. On 14 April 2007 the IMO Annual General Meeting passed a motion, which read: “For ethical reasons and because... Read more

CF patients had a three-day wait in ER

Greg Baxter | 06 July 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Three cystic fibrosis patients spent three days in the emergency department at St Vincent’s Hospital during a June outbreak of the winter vomiting bug, the chief executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Association (CFA) told Irish Medical Times. Mr Godfrey Fletcher... Read more

Better access for GPs to oncology in Dublin SW

Sandra Ryan | 06 July 2007 | Health Management, Public Health

New guidelines have been launched to help GPs get easier access to cancer services in Dublin South West, one of the largest cancer networks in the country. The Regional Oncology Programme Office in the Health Service Executive, which sees the... Read more

Co-location synonymous with Orwellian privatisation says ICTU economic advisor

Ian McGuinness | 06 July 2007 | Private Healthcare

The term ‘co-location’ has been branded as Orwellian and offensive by the economic advisor to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Speaking at a Combat Poverty Agency conference on ‘Community Participation in Primary Care,’ Mr Paul Sweeney said: “This offensive... Read more

Medical Practitioners Act may cause some problems for locums

Sandra Ryan | 06 July 2007 | General Practice, Medico-Legal, Regulation

The Medical Council is to seek advice from the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) to discuss the position of GP locums following the publication of the Medical Practitioners Act. Irish Medical Times understands that many locums currently working in... Read more

Private cemetery is denied

Ian McGuinness | 06 July 2007 | Planning and Development

Attempts to build a private burial ground in Donegal have failed because An Bord Pleanála said it would be prejudicial to public health, even though the Health Service Executive (HSE) said it had no such concerns. Ulla and Wolfram Stumpf... Read more

Dying young: plight of Irish Travellers

Sandra Ryan | 06 July 2007 | Research and Education

The last time in-depth research on mortality rates in the Travelling community was done, in 1986, it found that their life expectancy was the same as settled Irish people in the 1940s. In 1987 the Health Research Board (HRB) found... Read more

At the heart of the Irish soccer team

Colin Kerr | 06 July 2007 | Interviews

As Medical Director of the Football Association of Ireland, Dr Alan Byrne has one of the most important jobs in the association. The most high-profile aspect of his job is his responsibility for the elite professionals who represent the senior... Read more

Suspended doctor told she must re-evaluate her work

Ed Madden | 06 July 2007 | Medico-Legal

On 8 September 2006, a fitness to practise panel of the General Medical Council considered the conduct of Dr Jayanthy Gnananandan, with a registered address in London, in respect of her treatment of two patients. The first case concerned a... Read more