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News: November 2007

Dublin GP publishes his book of poetry

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Features

A Dublin-based GP has published his first book of poetry. Dr Lewis Regan, who practises in Lucan, has had his collection, Poems To Goodbye Meadows, published recently. He told Irish Medical Times that he has been writing poetry for over... Read more

Cross-border GP co-op a year late

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | General Practice

The latest cross-border GP co-op to be launched is a year late. The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, welcomed the launch of the South Armagh–Monaghan out-of-hours service, which begins this week. This is the first time people living north of... Read more

Bed losses no small matter

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

More than 28,000 bed days were lost in the Mater Hospital last year, Irish Medical Times has been informed. The exact figure was 28,105. This is the equivalent of 77 bed days being lost every day in 2006. The least... Read more

Junior doctor scheme is welcomed by Dr Quigley

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 | Research and Education

A new scheme to assess the technical performance of trainee doctors, underway at Cork University Hospital (CUH), has been welcomed by the President of the Medical Council. Dr Colm Quigley said co-operation between the training bodies and the Council was... Read more

GP co-ops need formal cohesion

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | General Practice

A prominent GP has said that GP co-ops on Dublin’s south side “need to be brought together in a more formal structure”. Killarney GP, Dr Gary Stack, was speaking after the Annual General Meeting of the National Association of GP... Read more

Crumlin to get its ED extension by end 2008

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Planning and Development

Crumlin Hospital has been granted planning permission for an extension to its Emergency Department, which is expected to be finished by the end of next year. Dublin City Council granted the hospital the right to proceed with the development earlier... Read more

Banking on DNA for a cure

Sandra Ryan | 30 November 2007 | Research and Education

Right now in Britain, work on one of the world’s most ambitious and expensive research projects is underway to finally determine what exactly causes cancer. Called the UK Biobank, it is studying half a million people’s DNA, and the results... Read more

Proposal on junior doctor hours was not rejected

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Health Service Executive Employers Agency has not rejected proposals on reduced working hours for pregnant NCHDs, it has said. Mr John Delamere, Senior Industrial Relations/Human Resources Executive with the Agency, was replying to statements made by the Irish Medical... Read more

Government fails to back up flu jab ad

Terence Cosgrave | 30 November 2007 | Public Health

The Government has failed to highlight the importance of the flu jab in the advertising campaign for free shots for the over 70s. Prof Des O’Neill, consultant geriatrician at Tallaght Hospital, recently told the Irish College of General Practitioners that... Read more

IMO loses anaesthetists' pay case in Labour Court

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Medico-Legal

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has lost a case taken to the Labour Court over anomalies in pay received by anaesthetic specialist registrars. The row between it and the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA) dates back to 1999.... Read more

Children to be denied fair medical access

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 |

Tens of thousands of children will not have access to the medical care they need, unless there are significant policy changes by the centenary of Poblacht na hÉireann, the Chief Executive of Barnardos will tell the Doolin Lecture’s audience this... Read more

HSE training is not helping managers

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 |

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is not preparing its managers to lead and cope with the large-scale transformation of the health service, one of the industry’s foremost commentators told Irish Medical Times. Mr Vincent Barton, Managing Director of the healthcare... Read more

Thousands of patients have assessed their GPs

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 | General Practice

Thousands of patients have sent information on doctors to the Medical Council as part of the its competence assurance pilot. Dr Colm Quigley, President of the Council, told Irish Medical Times that the response shows massive interest from the public... Read more

Hospital budgets need flexibility

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 | Interviews

Hospitals cannot be expected to work within the constraints of fixed yearly budgets, and increased flexibility must be allowed so that hospitals can adapt to swift changes in demand, according to a leading healthcare strategist. Mr Vincent Barton, recently appointed... Read more

Court addresses issue of consent in surgery

Ed Madden, BL | 30 November 2007 | Medico-Legal

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Supreme Court case concerning the requirement on medical practitioners to warn patients of the risks associated with elective medical procedures Paul Fitzpatrick, from Dublin, was born with a convergent squint in his left... Read more

Resolution to talks rests on locum cover provision

Ian McGuinness | 30 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

Ian McGuinness reports that the IMO is eager to arrive at an agreement on locum provision for NCHDs, but talks have resulted in very little progress being made on that front The junior doctor contract talks are in trouble and... Read more

Australia: Inquiry into Sydney hospital

Emer Mullins | 30 November 2007 | Foreign News

New South Wales’s Health Minister, Ms Reba Meagher, is expected to be the first witness called before a parliamentary inquiry into Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, looking into a series of complaints of poor patient care, according to the Australian... Read more

Afghanistan: Child death decreased 25 per cent since 2001

Emer Mullins | 30 November 2007 | Foreign News

Child mortality has dropped by 25 per cent in Afghanistan since the Taliban Government was overthrown in 2001, meaning that 89,000 more children survive each year, the Afghan Health Ministry has claimed. Reuters news agency has reported that after nearly... Read more

School vaccination programme is not 'in a mess', says the IMO president

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 | Public Health

The President of the Irish Medical Organisation has refuted claims that vaccination scheme in schools “is a mess,” as Irish Medical Times recently reported. Dr Paula Gilvarry, a Senior Medical Officer in Community Health Medicine, said vaccination uptake rates are... Read more

€10,750 sought by IHCA

Greg Baxter | 30 November 2007 |

Consultants want their yearly allowances for continuing medical education raised from €1,250 to €12,000, the Secretary General of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) told Irish Medical Times. The current allowance has not changed since 1998, which justifies the significant... Read more

Harney unaware of letters

Sandra Ryan | 30 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, said she did not know if there were any letters from doctors concerned about services in their hospital that were “languishing” in her department. The Minister was asked by Fine Gael health spokesperson, Dr... Read more

How to successfully manage a modern general practice

Barry O'Brien | 30 November 2007 | Features

In the first of a series of articles, Barry O’Brien, Course Tutor in the ICGP’s Diploma in Management in Practice ponders accepted business norms within general practice and the role of the practice manager Every business organisation has its ‘norms’–... Read more

UK: Medical union has opposed fitness to practise changes

Emer Mullins | 30 November 2007 | Foreign News, Regulation

The Medical Defence Union (MDU) in Britain has said it is strongly opposed to changes in the standard of proof for all fitness to practise (FTP) hearings before the General Medical Council (GMC). The organisation, which indemnifies over 50 per... Read more

Ageism is a widespread problem in Irish society — including government

Terence Cosgrave | 30 November 2007 | Health Management

The Chief Executive of Age Action Ireland has said that ageism is widespread in health, government, the social partners, personal social services and the media. Mr Robin Webster told the Annual Winter Meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners... Read more

Better outcomes with less cancer surgeons

Terence Cosgrave | 23 November 2007 | Public Health

There are too many surgeons performing breast surgery in Ireland for the system to be as effective as other European countries, the Irish College of General Practitioners’ Winter meeting was told. Dr Mary Hynes, the assistant National Director of the... Read more

IMO did not ask for €250k

Greg Baxter & Ian McGuinness | 23 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Medical Organisation did not suggest that consultants should be paid €250,000, its director of industrial relations has said. Mr Fintan Hourihan, part of the negotiating team for the union, said the IMO did not put this figure forward... Read more

GPs should look out for abuse

Terence Cosgrave | 23 November 2007 | General Practice

GPs should be on the look-out for signs of elder abuse when they are visiting older people in nursing homes, Dr Michael Boland told the Irish College of General Practitioners’ Winter Meeting. He said: “Doctors working in nursing homes should... Read more

HSE must stay on target with development plan

Greg Baxter | 23 November 2007 |

The Health Service Executive (HSE) must not fall behind the National Development Plan (NDP) timetable for capital developments, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has stated in its pre-Budget submission. The Association has warned that more delays in the roll... Read more

Consultants' time-management needs to be reformed

Greg Baxter | 23 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Hospital reform should have minimal effect on consultants but a major impact on support staff, a British expert on efficiency in healthcare delivery has told Irish Medical Times. Mr Simon Dodds, a Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Good Hope Hospital,... Read more

'Dirty' cash could be put to good use

Sandra Ryan | 23 November 2007 |

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) want the Government to use money from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) to set up drug treatment programmes. In their pre-Budget submission, the IMO states that since a significant amount of the CAB’s work is... Read more

Beaumont challenged on overtime promise

Ian McGuinness | 23 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Medical Organisation has challenged Beaumont Hospital’s version of an agreement which led to threatened industrial action being called off by NCHDs. Mr Fintan Hourihan, Director of Industrial Relations, told Irish Medical Times that all unrostered, consultant-approved overtime for... Read more

Seven counties lost patients with GP-only cards in October

Ian McGuinness | 23 November 2007 |

Seven counties lost patients with GP-only medical cards from their lists since the beginning of October, according to the latest statistics available. The counties losing patients with these type of cards, between 1 October and 1 November, were: Offaly, Westmeath,... Read more

GPs should continue to do smears says the IMO

Sandra Ryan | 23 November 2007 | General Practice

GPs should provide smear tests under the soon to be expanded National Cervical Screening Programme, the vice-president of the IMO, Dr Martin Daly, has said. Recently, the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS), the umbrella organisation for cancer screening programmes, announced... Read more

Prostate cancer robot soon to start operating

Greg Baxter | 23 November 2007 |

A state-of-the-art robotic surgery device to treat prostate cancer at the Galway Clinic — the first of its kind in Ireland — will begin operation shortly week, but will not be accessible to public patients or used for training junior... Read more

Primary care plan is not thought out

Sandra Ryan | 23 November 2007 | General Practice

The Irish College of General Practitioners has criticised the Health Service Executive (HSE) for seemingly “resurrecting” the old primary care strategy without much thought or planning. A detailed statement from the College Council said that while it welcomes the HSE’s... Read more

UK will 'debug' MRSA computers

23 November 2007 | Information Technology

IT and telephone equipment have been included in the UK’s Department of Health’s list of items be subjected to a rigorous cleansing, when all NHS trusts are given a ‘deep clean’ to tackle infections such as MRSA and c difficile.... Read more

Consultant meetings are the biggest time-wasters of all

Greg Baxter | 23 November 2007 | Interviews

Mr Simon Dodds, a British surgeon, tells Greg Baxter that hospitals ought to ensure that doctors are not doing wasteful work– that way we would have a more efficiently run health system Consultants spend more than 10 per cent of... Read more

No duty on doctor's solicitor to inform opponent of mistake

Ed Madden | 23 November 2007 | Medico-Legal

When she was 31-years-old, Wendy Thompson, a married woman, noticed that she had a lump in her left breast. She consulted her GP, Dr Christine Arnold, who diagnosed the lump as benign. Sadly it was not. If the diagnosis had... Read more

Another report for the shelves?

Ian McGuinness | 23 November 2007 | Health Management

How much of the Mental Health and Social Inclusion report will actually be implemented? That is what needs to be asked about the latest report from the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF). The purpose of the report is self-explanatory... Read more

Cost of Harney advisors questioned

Sandra Ryan | 23 November 2007 |

Leader of Fine Gael Deputy Enda Kenny asked the Taoiseach to justify the rise in the cost of the Minister for Health’s special advisors, at a time when the health service is suffering. “Since the general election, we have seen... Read more

Bulgaria tests e-health card

Emer Mullins | 23 November 2007 | Foreign News

Taking its cue from a German pilot project, the Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund is kicking off a 1,000-patient trial that could lead to a national electronic health card, a report in Healthcare IT News has said. The Bulgarian pilot... Read more

Global obesity figures reported

Emer Mullins | 23 November 2007 | Foreign News

A quarter of men and women in 63 countries were found to be obese in a massive study of more than 168,000 people, France’s top medical research institute has reported. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), of 168,159 adults aged 18... Read more

USA: Access to GPs made easier

23 November 2007 | Foreign News

Americans could find a family doctor they like, name that doctor’s office as their medical home and assure themselves of comprehensive care under a recent plan announced by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). In a report on its... Read more

A case of just needing adequate resources

Greg Baxter | 16 November 2007 | Interviews

The story of the new cardiothoracic surgery unit at University College Hospital Galway is as much about the innovation that consultants can drive, if given the proper support, as it is about resistance to change within hospitals. Dr Mark De... Read more

EU adopts new health strategy on 'core issues'

16 November 2007 | Foreign News

The European Commission has adopted a new health strategy for member States. The strategy will span what it called “core issues” in health “as well as health in all policies and global health issues. The Strategy aims to set clear... Read more

France: New digital pen reduces breast cancer waiting lists

Emer Mullins | 16 November 2007 | Foreign News

New technology has helped reduce waiting lists for breast cancer screening in France, by shortening the time it takes to analyse mammograms, according to eHealthNews.EU. Normal turnaround times of up to three hours were reduced to less than 30 minutes,... Read more

The Netherlands: Cardiac patients monitored at home

Emer Mullins | 16 November 2007 | Foreign News

An Amsterdam hospital is taking advantage of new technology to monitor more than 100 chronic heart failure patients at home, in order to improve their quality of life and reduce hospital admissions. According to eHealthNews.eu, the St Lucas Andreas Hospital... Read more

Schizophrenia medical services not proactive

Greg Baxter | 16 November 2007 |

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are not getting any care because neither primary nor secondary care services want to take responsibility, a clinical Fellow has told the Winter Meeting of the All Ireland Institute of Psychiatry. Dr Caragh Behan, who is... Read more

Budget-saving has delayed hospital procedures– IHCA

Greg Baxter | 16 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The 2008 Budget must reflect the fact that budget-saving decreases in activity this year have simply pushed those activities to next year, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has warned. Assistant General Secretary Mr Martin Varley told Irish Medical Times... Read more

Poor hygiene results– managers’ fault

Sandra Ryan | 16 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The first National Hygiene Services Quality Review, which analysed hygiene standards in 51 hospitals throughout the Republic, has blamed a lack of proper management in the area of hygiene control for the poor results. The review, done by the Health... Read more

Employers used 'offensive language' in documents

Ian McGuinness | 16 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The employers’ side is not trying hard enough to bring the consultant contract talks to a successful conclusion, according to the Irish Medical Organisation. Mr Fintan Hourihan, the IMO Director of Industrial Relations, said there is serious concern about the... Read more

NCHD overtime row is settled

Ian McGuinness | 16 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The row over consultant-approved overtime for NCHDs at Beaumont Hospital appears to have been resolved, according to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO). The union had alleged that payments to junior doctors, for overtime work approved by consultants, was being cut.... Read more

St Vincent's wins appeal to build private hospital

Ian McGuinness | 16 November 2007 |

St Vincent’s Health Care Group has won an appeal granting it the right to build a private hospital, which it said will meet the requirements of a co-located facility. The 260-bed hospital will be built on a site know as... Read more

Allegations of collusion denied outright by IMO

Ian McGuinness | 16 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation’s GP committee has said he understands GPs are frustrated at the stalled contract talks but he added the union is not in league with their employers to delay them. Last week five GPs... Read more

Bed day losses revealed

Ian McGuinness | 16 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Nearly 9,500 bed days have been lost in Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown this year because of so-called “delayed discharges,” Irish Medical Times has been told. A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive said: “Based on the number of delayed discharges in... Read more

HSE ignorance on A&E depts 'bizarre'

Greg Baxter | 16 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The Health Service Executive’s (HSE’s) “ignorance and inaccuracy” with regard to delays in emergency departments (EDs) has been described by the President of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM) as “bizarre”. Mr Fergal Hickey, in a letter to the... Read more

Japan: Patients of TB doctor checked

09 November 2007 | Foreign News

The Japanese government has said some 400 people would be tested for tuberculosis in central Japan after their doctor was diagnosed with the disease, news agencies have reported. Reuters reported that the doctor, aged about 70, had been coughing and... Read more

Number of doctors varies wildly in OECD countries

09 November 2007 | Foreign News

Medical specialists outnumber GPs in most democratic, free-market countries in the world now and the number of doctors overall has increased by 35 per cent over the past 15 years to 2.8 million, according to 2007 OECD (Organisation for Economic... Read more

Mental health- neglected and under-researched

09 November 2007 | Foreign News

The Global Forum for Health Research has said that mental and neurological disorders are responsible for 13 per cent of the global burden of disease. It released findings of a new survey which shows that more than half of the... Read more

Doctor should have opted for Caesarean section birth

Ed Madden | 09 November 2007 | Medico-Legal

At 5.30pm on 1 October 1999, Nadine Montgomery gave birth to a baby boy, Sam, at Bellshill Maternity Hospital in Scotland. Unfortunately, the child was born with brain damage. In 2006, Ms Montgomery took a case against Lanarkshire Health Board,... Read more

Over 3,000 nursing home refunds rejected

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 |

At least 3,183 applications for refunds under the nursing home repayment scheme have been rejected, according to the Minister for Health, Mary Harney. The Minister said that by 12 October this year that was the number of rejected applications. She... Read more

Health recruitment freeze

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 |

There have been at least 196 posts excluded from the recruitment freeze in the health service since that embargo began two months ago, Irish Medical Times has been told. Most of the posts are in the front line services– namely... Read more

Pilot is likely to be chosen on cost-basis

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The HSE wants to cherry-pick European Working Time Directive pilot projects according to how much they cost, it has been claimed. The Irish Medical Organisation said the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA) is objecting to certain pilot projects... Read more

Regional obesity centres needed

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

A major report linking obesity and the Western diet with cancer provides more justification for the establishment of regional obesity centres to help at-risk people, a cancer and obesity expert at St James’s Hospital has told Irish Medical Times. Prof... Read more

Patient care jeopardised by HSE recruitment freeze says IHCA

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

Quality of care will be affected by the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to continue the recruitment freeze, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has said. Mr Donal Duffy, the IHCA’s Assistant Secretary General, challenged assurances by the HSE that... Read more

Irish doctor to care for township volunteers

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 |

A consultant radiologist in Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown and five other Irish doctors are taking part in massive humanitarian effort to build homes in South African townships. Dr Peter Kavanagh and the team of doctors are providing medical care for 1,350... Read more

Government alcohol policies ignored and often contradictory

Sandra Ryan | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

The Republic’s 11-year-old alcohol policy has largely been ignored, according to a Health Research Board (HRB) report. The report, Health-Related Consequences of Problem Alcohol Use, states: “The existing national alcohol policy published in 1996 has been largely ignored. Some policies... Read more

Monaghan nurses– underpaid for years

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

Nurses have been underpaid for night shift duty for nearly 40 years at Monaghan General Hospital, a trade union has claimed. The allegation was made by the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) in a dispute between it and... Read more

Clinical directorates established but HSE is still calling the shots

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Clinical directorates are being established all over the country, but the Health Service Executive (HSE) is still making all the important decisions, the director of the new cardiothoracic surgery unit at University College Hospital, Galway (UCHG) has told Irish Medical... Read more

Community nursing unit for St Joseph’s

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Planning and Development

A 100-bed community nursing unit will be built by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Dublin 5, if it gets planning permission from Dublin City Council. The HSE applied for permission to build the two-storey facility at St Joseph’s Hospital... Read more

First analysis of practice review is due in December

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Regulation

The Medical Council plans to publish a preliminary analysis of its Performance in Practice Review (PPR) pilot in December, the president of the Council has told Irish Medical Times. Dr Colm Quigley said the Council’s preliminary analysis of the pilot... Read more

Elderly care focus for ICGP

Sandra Ryan | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

Competence assurance and caring for the elderly will be the focus at the 2007 Irish College of General Practitioners’ (ICGP) Winter Meeting, taking place on 17 November in Dublin. Prof Des O’Neill, Consultant Geriatrician at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, and author... Read more

Court awards HSE former employee €3,000 in damages

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Health Service Executive North Eastern (HSE NE) region has been told it must pay a former co-ordinator of Traveller health services €3,000 for what the Labour Court said was the “flawed manner” in which that worker was dismissed. The... Read more

HSE ordered to grant niece access to aunt’s records

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 |

The Health Service Executive’s (HSE) North Western area has been ordered to release records of a Patient’s Private Property Account to a patient’s niece. The order was made by the Information Commissioner, Ms Emily O’Reilly. The Commissioner heard the female... Read more

Children's hospital is 50% bigger than the three existing hospitals

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

A rough outline for the new children’s hospital at the Mater Hospital– which will be significantly larger than the current three childrens’ hospitals combined– has been published by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE’s High Level Framework Brief sets... Read more

Cancer misdiagnoses mean new centres must go ahead, says Harney

Sandra Ryan | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has said the seven cases where breast cancer was misdiagnosed at Portlaoise General Hospital are proof that the Government’s plan to concentrate cancer services in eight hospitals is “absolutely necessary”. Last week the review... Read more

Consultant’s rooms appeal rejected for public health reasons

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Planning and Development

Prof John Crown has been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a development that would have included partially converting the ground floor of a house to medical consulting rooms. He applied to Dublin City Council for permission to... Read more

Breaking pay deadlock rests with the chairman

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Chairman of the consultant contract talks is attempting to resolve the crucial issue of pay, instead of it going to a third party, it has emerged. Mr Mark Connaughton is trying to resolve the matter in talks with the... Read more

Patient care comes second to control

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The Health Service Executive (HSE) may not be interested in reaching a deal on a consultant contract with existing consultants, the Secretary General of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) told Irish Medical Times. Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick said the HSE’s... Read more

Proof of NCHD work problems given to EA

Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine, Industrial Relations

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has written to the Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA), Mr Gerry Barry, to inform him about specific problems surrounding locums and overtime for junior doctors. Mr Fintan Hourihan, Director... Read more

GPs challenge IMO

Sandra Ryan & Ian McGuinness | 09 November 2007 | General Practice

A number of GPs have come together to call on the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) to start negotiating a new GP contract, as they believe waiting for the Health Service Executive to start talks will give it an advantage. Five... Read more

Vaccination in schools 'is a mess'

Sandra Ryan | 09 November 2007 | Public Health

The introduction of the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer may have to wait because the immunisation programme in schools “is a mess”, a leading paediatrician has said. Dr Kevin Connolly, who is a consultant at Portiuncula Hospital in Galway, said... Read more

CT scanner sits unused in Mallow General Hospital

Greg Baxter | 09 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

A CT scanner which is estimated to be worth about €1 million has been lying idle in Mallow General Hospital since December 2006, and more than a thousand patients have had to travel to other hospitals in Cork to get... Read more

Austria: Doctors plan to strike

02 November 2007 | Foreign News

A planned new law in the healthcare system by an apparently unpopular health minister is set to send Austrian doctors on strike on 8 November, according to a news report. The country’s medical association has indicated that the strike is... Read more

China: Health minister promises country-wide health plan

02 November 2007 | Foreign News

Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu has vowed to establish a medical service system which covers all urban and rural China by 2010, according to online news sources. Reports cited the Minister at a Sino-American medical forum in Shanghai saying the... Read more

New Zealand: New curriculum is set for GP college

02 November 2007 | Foreign News, Research and Education

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) has adopted a new curriculum put forward by its Integrated Education Pathway Working Group that will see localised training of GPs. The college said urgency had been added by the burgeoning... Read more

UK: New guidelines for care in child birth

02 November 2007 | Foreign News, Regulation

The Royal Colleges of Anaesthetists (RCOA), Midwives (RCM), Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in the UK have issued new guidelines for the delivery of care in childbirth. The joint document, Safer Childbirth: Minimum Standards for... Read more

Knocking heads together at a medical conference

Ed Madden | 02 November 2007 | Medico-Legal

On 7 July 2006, Dr John Lewis Isaac, with an address in Birmingham, attended a medical conference. He began drinking at 10pm and by midnight had consumed four or five pints of lager. Having made a comment to a friend... Read more

ECG: change in a heart beat

Dr Thecla Scully | 02 November 2007 | Features

If historical sources are accurate the ECG had its genesis in 1872 in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, when Alexander Muirhead attached wires to a feverish patient’s wrist in order to obtain a heart rate, recording the activity and visualised it... Read more

Setting the rules for competition

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Interviews

Medical professionals have come into contact on a number of occasions in recent years with the Competition Authority. At present, pharmacists are being investigated by the Authority to see if their withdrawal from the methadone scheme constituted a breach of... Read more

Beaumont Hospital lost 22,000 bed days in 2006

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Beaumont Hospital lost 22,000 bed days last year, even though there were enough step-down facilities in the region to take patients from the acute hospital, it has been claimed. Fine Gael Health Spokesperson, and Lusk GP, Dr James Reilly said... Read more

Drug dealer 'sharks' prey on methadone dependants

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

Dr James Reilly, the Dublin North TD and Fine Gael Health Spokesperson has complained that when pharmacists in Dublin pulled out of the methadone scheme recently, the Health Service Executive established a clinic in the northern part of his constituency... Read more

Inquiry underway after gastric-band patient dies

Sandra Ryan | 02 November 2007 | Regulation

The Medical Council has stated its concern over unregulated cosmetic surgery when a patient recently died after a gastric banding procedure. It was revealed a Fitness to Practice inquiry is underway on the French plastic surgeon who performed the surgery... Read more

Higgins introduces a Bill to amend the Competition Act

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Regulation

A private members bill has been introduced that would change the existing language in the Competition Act to allow for collective bargaining by groups like GPs, consultants, dentists and pharmacists. The Competition Amendment Bill 2007, authored by Deputy Michael Higgins,... Read more

Private hospital plan granted then appealed

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Planning and Development, Private Healthcare

A decision to grant conditional permission for the construction of a private hospital in Letterkenny has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by the applicant. Northwest Healthcare Limited applied to Letterkenny Town Council in June for permission to construct the... Read more

Trained health workers reduce suicide risk

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

Research on suicide in counties Cork and Kerry have found that training health professionals to be aware of depression and suicide is an effective prevention measure. Under the Cork and Kerry Alliance for the Awareness of Depression and Suicidal Behaviour,... Read more

Doctors are not being found by asylum seekers

Sandra Ryan | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

Asylum seekers are still having problems finding a GP to treat them, a new report has found. The report, Participation of Ethnic Minority Communities in Primary Care Service Design, Planning and Delivery was launched last week in Galway and has... Read more

Review of maternity services is underway

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

Births are expected to rise to 68,000 this year, which is an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2006, the Minister for Health said. Minister Harney said that an independent review of maternity and gynaecological services in the greater... Read more

Hospitals discharge 10,000 extra in 2007

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Hospitals discharged over 10,000 more inpatients than they were expected to from the start of January to the end of August this year, according to the Department of Health. Figures revealed by the Department show that while it was expected... Read more

IHCA agrees to support 68 new posts, with conditions

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has agreed to support and facilitate the recruitment of 68 new consultant posts, following a request by the Health Service Executive and Department of Health to do so. The IHCA refused to participate in... Read more

Report on GPs and consultants expected

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Regulation

A general report on consultants and GPs is expected to be drawn up next year, the Chairman of the Competition Authority has told Irish Medical Times. Mr William Prasifka said that it is not yet firmly decided which section of... Read more

Pulling of arthritis drug a 'huge blow'

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

A decision by UK’s pharmaco-economic watchdog to refuse patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis the use of the drug Abatacept must be opposed, a major patient advocacy group has urged. Arthritis Care called the decision by the National Institute of Health... Read more

Pay issue needs speedy resolution

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The issue of pay will have to be tackled in the consultant contract talks “very shortly,” the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA) has said. Mr Gerard Barry, Chief Executive of the HSE EA, told Irish Medical Times: “The... Read more

Cancer Society supports free HPV vaccination

Sandra Ryan | 02 November 2007 | Public Health

The Irish Cancer Society has called on the Government to come to a decision on whether or not to include the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer on the national immunisation schedule, after the UK Department of Health decided to provide... Read more

Time directive strategy should be implemented for other specialties

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Successful pilot projects aimed at meeting the conditions of the European Working Time Directive should be rolled out to other specialties and hospitals throughout the state, the Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA) has said. Mr Brendan Mulligan, Assistant... Read more

Doctor quits Drogheda due to workload changes

Sandra Ryan | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

A consultant oncologist at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, has resigned from his post after the decision by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to change the set up of cancer services at the hospital. Prof Desmond Carney, who has... Read more

HSE says cover is there for NCHDs

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSE EA) has said that it is not aware of specific instances of pregnant, sick or overworked non-consultant hospital doctors not being provided with locum cover. When asked about the Irish Medical Organisation’s (IMO)... Read more

HSE gives 'facetious' responses to TDs

Ian McGuinness | 02 November 2007 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive (HSE) does not answer questions put by TDs and provides them with ‘facetious’ replies, according to the Fine Gael Spokesperson on Health. Dr James Reilly (FG, Dublin North) said during a debate on the recruitment embargo:... Read more

IHCA talks finally get to money

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Industrial Relations

The issue of pay has been directly mentioned in consultant contract talks for the first time, the Secretary General of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has told Irish Medical Times. Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick said the IHCA set out the... Read more

SwiftCare's impact on speedier A&E times is debated

Greg Baxter | 02 November 2007 | Hospital Medicine

Vhi SwiftCare clinics will have “no impact at all on overcrowded emergency departments”, the Secretary of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM) has told Irish Medical Times. Mr James Binchy, an emergency medicine consultant at University College Hospital Galway,... Read more