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News: June 2008

Patients prefer straight-talk from doctors

29 June 2008 | Features, Public Health

A new study shows that terminally-ill patients prefer their doctors to discuss end-of-life care with them and to be truthful about what the future holds. It may be one of the most difficult things for a doctor to have to... Read more

Fertility clinics still operating in limbo

28 June 2008 | Features, Regulation

Sandra Ryan writes that there is no legal framework regulating IVF in Ireland and it means doctors are working in a very uncertain environment. Of all the grey areas in the Irish health service, the lack of concrete legislation and... Read more

Prescribing drug abuse

Gary Culliton | 27 June 2008 | Public Health

There has been a significant rise in prescriptions of drugs such as Valium (diazepam, up by a fifth) and Xanax (alprazolam, up by 42 per cent) in the five years since the landmark Benzodazapine Report called for a ‘considerable reduction’... Read more

Funding for dementia slammed

27 June 2008 | Foreign News

Health experts from 11 British universities have written an open letter to Health Secretary Alan Johnson, slamming what they dubbed ‘pitifully low’ funding for research into dementia. They warned the NHS would not survive the next 20 years unless funding... Read more

Armagh cases reviewed

Ian McGuinness | 27 June 2008 | Regulation

Four women from the Republic of Ireland have been notified that the treatment they received at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, County Armagh, is being reviewed. The Southern Health and Social Care Trust acknowledged last week that it is reviewing... Read more

Cheaper to knock down hospitals

Mary Anne Kenny | 27 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

It would be more cost-effective for Ireland to knock down its existing high-acuity hospitals and re-build them according to evidence-based design, than to attempt to renovate them, according to an expert in hospital design. Speaking in Dublin last week, Prof... Read more

Pre-hospital care needs changes

Greg Baxter | 27 June 2008 | Public Health

Major innovations are needed in the pre-hospital care of patients with heart attacks, a public health consultant told Irish Medical Times. Dr Siobhan Jennings said GP-administered thrombolysis needs to be happening in more places than Donegal and West Galway.... Read more

State could face huge bill on MRSA claims

Sandra Ryan | 27 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

The State could be facing up to 1,500 legal claims, and a bill of €500 million, from people with MRSA, according to the State Claims Agency. Ciarán Breen, director of the Agency, has told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee that... Read more

Social worker was mentally unfit

Ed Madden | 27 June 2008 | Medico-Legal

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent UK Care Standards Tribunal case in which medical evidence established that an applicant for inclusion on the Register of Social Workers was unfit to work due to longstanding mental health problems. On 5... Read more

HSE goes ahead with lab report

Greg Baxter | 27 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

The HSE is going ahead with implementation of an unpublished report on medical laboratory restructuring, it has been revealed. Last week an organisation representing laboratory scientists — the Academy of Medical Laboratory Scientists (AMLS) – accused the HSE of implementing... Read more

Venus compression clinic may re-open

Terence Cosgrave | 26 June 2008 | General Practice

The Venus Compression Therapy Clinic, which had been run from the Orthopaedic Hospital in Clontarf, may be run in future from a different location — according to the doctor who was in charge of the clinic when it closed... Read more

HSE criticised for funding cut

Sandra Ryan | 26 June 2008 | Health Management

The country’s largest provider of intellectual disability services, St Michael’s House in Dublin, has criticised the Health Service Executive (HSE) for reducing their funding by €2 million since 2003, meaning their waiting lists are growing and they are unable to... Read more

Over 500 primary care teams by end of 2009

Sandra Ryan | 26 June 2008 | General Practice

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has promised to have over 500 primary care teams in place by the end of next year, according to Chief Executive Officer Prof Brendan Drumm. He said that the teams, where it is planned patients... Read more

EU governments allow politics to dictate healthcare decisions

26 June 2008 | Foreign News

European Union governments fail to rely enough on scientific evidence in healthcare spending decisions and are sometimes influenced by political factors, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have claimed. The organisation said countries should do a better job of assessing the... Read more

UK approves national cervical cancer vaccine

Sandra Ryan | 26 June 2008 | Foreign News

The UK Department of Health has decided to use the HPV vaccine Cervarix in its national immunisation programme for 12- and 13-year-olds, which starts this September. It has not yet been confirmed whether the vaccine will be rolled out in... Read more

Five hospitals 'not referring enough' to NTPF

Gary Culliton | 25 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Health Minister Mary Harney today said she 'could not understand' why a small number of hospitals are not referring sufficient patients to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), leaving patients waiting needlessly longer than 12 months for surgery. The hospitals... Read more

Private Emergency Department opens

Gary Culliton | 25 June 2008 | Private Healthcare

The Hermitage Clinic in Lucan has opened an Emergency Department (ED). An initial consultation will cost €120, which the patient will pay up-front, though it will be partly reclaimable. The private hospital has circulated 400 local GPs with details of... Read more

RCSI research initiative to benefit African nations

By Greg Baxter | 25 June 2008 | Foreign News

The RCSI has announced the Ireland-Africa Partnership for Health Research with the goal of reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health, and controlling HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases in Africa. The Partnership links researchers from RCSI, the Centre for... Read more

Oslizlok is new IHCA President

25 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine, Industrial Relations

A Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist in Crumlin has been elected president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association. Dr Paul Oslizlok was elected this weekend. Dr Margo Wrigley, Consultant Psychiatrist, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, and Dr John O’Dea, Consultant Anaesthetist, Mid Western Regional... Read more

Temple Street home for patients’ families

25 June 2008 | Features

The FIRST ‘HOME Away from Home’ house for Temple Street Children’s University Hospital which will provide a home for families of sick children opened this week. The ‘Your Home Away From Home’ project was launched in early 2006 to assist... Read more

Cancer-sniffing dogs cloned in South Korea

25 June 2008 | Foreign News

A South Korean biotech company has unveiled four Labrador retriever puppies it said were cloned from a Japanese dog skilled at sniffing out patients with cancer, Reuters news agency reported. RNL Bio, which is affiliated with the South Korean lab... Read more

HIV screening dilemma shows Catch-22 situation

Alan Deeley | 24 June 2008 | Public Health

The future of HIV screening services rests in a Catch-22 situation: to encourage more people with sexual health concerns to avail of testing without swamping an ‘already-stretched’ system, says the chairman of the Education and Prevention Sub-Committee on HIV and... Read more

New measures needed to counter counterfeits

By Greg Baxter | 24 June 2008 | Public Health

Pharmaceutical industry leaders across the EU have called for new measures to tackle the growing threat of counterfeit medicines. The measures include a ban on medicine repackaging, a standard EU system of identifying medicines, and heavier penalties for trafficking in... Read more

North West loses medical cards

By Ian McGuinness | 24 June 2008 | Health Management

The former North Western Health Board region has lost thousands of medical card holders from its lists in the space of a month, despite every other region gaining them. The most up to date figures show that, between 1 May... Read more

Fat drugs don't allow 'snouts in the trough'

By Alan Deeley | 24 June 2008 | Public Health

A study on the effects of blocking the hunger hormone for obese people, published this week by the University of Texas South-Western Medical Centre, will be of use at the ‘extreme end’ of weight gain, according to public health specialist... Read more

Ireland in line with EU on cancer

24 June 2008 | Public Health

Ireland’s cancer control strategy, which will realign services into regional centres of excellence, is based on the same principles as a report published by the EU Council of Health Ministers, the Minister for Health has said. Mary Harney said the... Read more

Irish abortions abroad have fallen

24 June 2008 | Public Health

The number of Irish women having abortions abroad is continuing to fall, according to latest statistics. According to the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, it is the sixth year in a row that the numbers, which come from the UK Department of... Read more

WHO says Burmese health system ‘back on its feet’

24 June 2008 | Foreign News

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the health system in cyclone-battered Burma was ‘back on its feet’, but warned that disease risks remained, a report from AFP stated. “I think we were able to provide a response that helped... Read more

Harney to rule on 'cost effective' vaccine

Gary Culliton | 24 June 2008 | Features, Public Health

Gary Culliton writes on the possibility that a cervical cancer vaccination programme will be launched in Ireland soon. Health Minister Harney has indicated that a decision will be made this summer on whether a cervical cancer vaccination programme can proceed.... Read more

Nurse manager's case of alleged discrimination failed to convince

Ed Madden BL | 24 June 2008 | Features, Medico-Legal

Ed Madden BL, looks at a recent Equality Tribunal case in which a Clinical Nurse Manager failed to prove discrimination for not bein allowed retained a 30-hour week on promotion, Ms Susan O’Brien was employed by Cork University Hospital as... Read more

Maybe baby — women play the waiting game

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 23 June 2008 | Industrial Relations, Public Health

Dr Nuala O'Farrell writes that women are torn between furthering their career and having a baby, hoping that they will still be fertile in their late 30s. Many successful young women nowadays find it difficult to choose the right time... Read more

Preparing for a vital medical interview

Rory Hafford | 22 June 2008 | Features, General Practice, Hospital Medicine, Research and Education

In the first article of a new Irish Medical Times series on communication in medicine, Rory Hafford, Senior Consultant with Carr Communications, looks at the best preparation for the medical interview. Doctors are arguably the most highly-trained and best prepared... Read more

Irish doctors mistrust each other — Prof Keane

Greg Baxter | 22 June 2008 | Health Management, Public Health

Greg Baxter reports on some recent public comments by Prof Tom Keane who had some harsh words to say about the Irish healthcare system. If you are still talking about healthcare in terms of beds, the conversation has passed you... Read more

Attacks on staff in North still a problem

Ian McGuinness | 21 June 2008 | Features, Industrial Relations, Public Health

Despite the introduction of a zero tolerance campaign last June, the number of attacks on healthcare workers is still an issue in Northern Ireland. Attacks on healthcare workers has been raised as an issue of concern once more, this time... Read more

Advice: defending an MRSA claim

Aisling Gannon | 21 June 2008 | Medico-Legal

Aisling Gannon, partner and head of healthcare with Beauchamps Solicitors begins a new Irish Medical Times series on legal advice for doctors. MRSA appears to be on the increase. English actress Leslie Ash recently received damages after allegedly contracting MSSA,... Read more

Patients at risk from paper-based system

MaryAnne Kenny | 20 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Patients may be at risk because Ireland still has a predominantly paper-based hospital system, according to Prof Hannah McGee, Director of the Health Services Research Centre at the Dept of Psychology, RCSI. She said the quality of healthcare could be... Read more

HSE not consulting on laboratory strategy

Greg Baxter | 20 June 2008 | Health Management

The HSE is pursuing a strategy to reform the country’s hospital laboratory system using a report that has not been officially published, and without consulting the main organisations representing medical scientists, the Academy of Medical Laboratory Science (AMLS) has stated.... Read more

More contact required for better diabetes care

Sandra Ryan | 20 June 2008 | Public Health

New guidelines for managing type 2 diabetes have suggested a stronger relationship between GPs and hospital doctors to treat and prevent the disease. A Practical Guide to Integrated Type II Diabetes Care, written by Dr Velma Harkins at the Irish... Read more

E-health: Data protection and security

20 June 2008 | Health Management, Information Technology

Given the sensitive nature of health-related data, Helix Health says it is increasingly important for medical professionals to ensure that their patients' paperless files are secure and protected. There has been a large amount of media attention paid to the... Read more

ACS doctor quits Ireland

Gary Culliton | 20 June 2008 | Private Healthcare

A major row has erupted between the doctor who performed the Advanced Cosmetic Surgery gastric banding operation – following which a woman died – and a top specialist. Speaking from Paris, Dr Jerome Manuceau told Irish Medical Times that methods... Read more

Gay couples seek IVF clarity

Sandra Ryan | 20 June 2008 | Public Health

The Equality Authority is examining whether same-sex couples have a right to IVF treatment in Ireland under the Equality Act 2004, following a number of couples contacting them after being refused infertility treatment. Dr Tony Walsh, IVF specialist and medical... Read more

Patients should pay up for care

Greg Baxter | 20 June 2008 | Private Healthcare

Patients should expect to pay for a percentage of their healthcare treatment, depending on how much they earn, according to Prof Floyd Loop, founder of the Cleveland Clinic in the US, who was a keynote speaker at a health conference... Read more

Experts gather at Galway conference

Gary Culliton | 19 June 2008 | Public Health

NUI Galway’s Department of Surgery held an inaugural International Breast Cancer Conference from 19–21 June. The main theme of the conference was multidisciplinary breast cancer care, which was of interest to all professionals involved in breast cancer management including surgeons,... Read more

New register needs division information

Greg Baxter | 19 June 2008 | Regulation

The Medical Council is requiring all currently registered medical practitioners to fill out a questionnaire to ensure that they are placed in the correct division of the new medical register. The old register has been dumped under the new Medical... Read more

Obese kids need help and referrals

Mary Anne Kenny | 19 June 2008 | Public Health

GPs should be more pro-active in identifying children who need to lose weight and refer them to specialist clinics, if necessary, according to Dr Eva Orsmond, a medical doctor with a special interest in the treatment of overweight patients and... Read more

Indemnity and insurance issues to be resolved

Ian McGuinness | 19 June 2008 | Public Health

The outstanding issues in the cervical smear contract can be resolved, the Chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation’s GP Committee, Dr Ronan Boland, has said. One of the unresolved issues in the ongoing talks with the National Cancer Screening Service... Read more

Keane shocked by reaction

Greg Baxter | 19 June 2008 | Public Health

Ireland’s new cancer czar admitted he did not expect the political maelstrom which the Government and health service encountered as a result of realigning cancer services. Prof Tom Keane, the interim director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), told... Read more

Hospital couldn't hit budget empty

Mary Anne Kenny | 19 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Nenagh General Hospital could not keep within its budget this year even if no patients were treated there, according to Dr Christine O’Malley, a geriatrician at the hospital and former president of the Irish Medical Organisation. “The budget for our... Read more

Dr John Dillon, 1951-2008

Dr J O'K | 18 June 2008 | Obituary

Dr John Dillon passed away peacefully in May after a long career in medicine and many great sporting achievements — 'One of the good ones is gone'. There are many reasons why John would not have wanted this written about... Read more

Report on health providers due

Greg Baxter | 18 June 2008 | Health Management

The Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance will publish its report on the licensing of public and private healthcare providers and services next month, the Department of Health has announced. Currently, there is no system of regulation for private... Read more

The partnership's perspective

Barry O'Brien | 18 June 2008 | Features

Barry O'Brien offers some advice to existing partners in general practice who are looking to recruit a new GP into their partnership. The recruitment of a new GP partner to a general practice is probably one of the hardest and... Read more

Review of critical care under way

18 June 2008 | Public Health

A review of adult critical care units is under way, which will plan out that sector’s needs to 2020. Prospectus Limited was awarded the contract by the HSE but the cost has not yet been revealed. It is understood that... Read more

Carer’s grant doesn’t go far enough to deliver real support for carers

MaryAnne Kenny | 18 June 2008 | Public Health

The increases in the Respite Care Grant — though welcome — do not go far enough to deliver real support to full-time family carers, according to Ms Catherine Cox of the Carers Association, the national representative organisation for Ireland’s 161,000... Read more

Proven Galway care scheme cannot begin

Alan Deeley | 18 June 2008 | Public Health

A community care scheme for patients with heart failure in Galway, which has a proven track record of success, cannot begin because two vital nursing posts have yet to be filled, according to Dr John Barton, Consultant Cardiologist, Portiuncla Hospital.... Read more

Court awards doctor €25,000

Ian McGuinness | 18 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

A casualty consultant has been awarded €25,000 by the Labour Court because his employer did not tell him in writing why it gave him fixed term contracts for more than four years. Dr Muhammad Ghulam took a case against the... Read more

Innovation award won by infusion device

18 June 2008 | Research and Education

This year’s winner of the Cruickshank Technology Innovation Award was an add-on device that attaches to infusion drips and eliminates bubbles before they reach the patient’s bloodstream. The device took Enterprise Ireland’s Student Enterprise Awards 2008 by storm. Peter Sullivan,... Read more

Commission needed for plan

Mary Anne Kenny | 18 June 2008 | Health Management

An independent commission is needed to oversee the effective implementation of the health transformation programme, because of a lack of clarity about the roles of the HSE and the Department of Health, according to Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, CEO of the... Read more

No objections to Rehab hospital

Ian McGuinness | 18 June 2008 | Public Health

No objections have been lodged so far against the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s planning application for a new hospital at its Dún Laoghaire site. The application was submitted last month. With 235 bedrooms, the new hospital will range in height from... Read more

DRIP to hold fundraising dinner

17 June 2008 | Foreign News

Disaster Relief by Irish & Pakistanis (DRIP) will hold a fundraising dinner in the Garda Club, Westmanstown Sports and Conference Centre in Clonsilla on 13 July, to establish a Cardiac First Responder Faculty and Emergency Training School in Kashmir. The... Read more

More contact required for better diabetes care

Sandra Ryan | 17 June 2008 | Public Health

New guidelines for managing type 2 diabetes have suggested a stronger relationship between GPs and hospital doctors to treat and prevent the disease. A Practical Guide to Integrated Type II Diabetes Care, written by Dr Velma Harkins at the Irish... Read more

Emer Casey studentships launched

Mary Anne Kenny | 17 June 2008 | Research and Education

The Emer Casey PhD Studentships to research ovarian and endometrial cancer were launched last week by the Department of Histopathology at the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin. The Emer Casey Foundation was established in memory of Ms Emer Casey,... Read more

'Clinic of horrors' case rocks Milan medicine

17 June 2008 | Foreign News

Three Italian surgeons in Milan have been accused, along with 12 others, of voluntary homicide and fraud for performing unnecessary invasive surgery for financial gain, the ANSA news agency reported. One investigator referred to the private 276-bed Santa Rita clinic... Read more

Try turning off that blinking box for a change

Mari Gallagher | 17 June 2008 | Features

Mari Gallagher writes about how television can prove to be a negative influence, both on family life and on the physical and mental health of children today. Irish writer, Eilis Ni Dhuibhne makes a number of insightful comments in her... Read more

Premium payments for patients

Emer Mullins | 17 June 2008 | Foreign News, Private Healthcare

Emer Mullins writes about how American doctors are charging a premium to provide VIP services for some of their patients. Some Americans, fed up with being treated poorly by their healthcare providers, are paying premiums to their family doctors for... Read more

Blood infection kills 25 babies in Manila Hospital

17 June 2008 | Foreign News

A Manila hospital closed its neonatal intensive care unit and ordered an investigation after 25 babies died of a blood infection, AFP news agency reported. It said local authorities ordered the Ospital ng Makati to close the unit after 45... Read more

NHS staff accept new deal to avert strikes

17 June 2008 | Foreign News

NHS staff members have accepted a new government offer on pay that will give them an 8.1 per cent increase over three years. The deal averted what could have been a bitter strike over pay. Almost two-thirds of the workers... Read more

Exploring the science of song

Dr Mark Tramo | 16 June 2008 | Features, Foreign News

Work carried out by Dr Mark Tramo in Harvard Medical School suggests that patient care can be greatly improved by using music to relieve their pain. Most of us are familiar with how a sudden blast of our favourite piece... Read more

Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine

Dr Charles Dupont | 15 June 2008 | Features, General Practice

Dr Charles Dupont, Consultant Dermatologist, assesses the seventh edition of the classic textbook on dermatology in general medical practice. This classic American textbook is here again with over 300 contributors and many changes from the sixth edition. Most notably, only... Read more

The changing life of the Irish GP

Alan Deeley | 15 June 2008 | Features, General Practice

Alan Deeley speaks to Dr Anthony Cummins, who is asking doctors to contribute to his compilation of stories about the changes in general practice over the years. A new project will assemble the wealth of anecdotes and experience that general... Read more

HIV figures reveal immigrants at high risk

By Alan Deeley | 14 June 2008 | Public Health

As the Health Protection Surveillance Centre publishes figures revealing a seven and a half per cent increase in HIV diagnoses for 2007, the executive director of Dublin Aids Alliance has asked the healthcare community to ‘get to know’ patients across... Read more

China and UAE make rapid progress to safe blood donation

By Mary Anne Kenny | 14 June 2008 | Public Health

Voluntary blood donation in China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reached close to 100 per cent as a result of both countries’ efforts to tackle the risk of contamination from unsafe blood, according to the World Health Organization... Read more

French plastic surgeon on trial for performing dozens of 'mutilations'

14 June 2008 | Foreign News

A French doctor who told investigators he was one of the world’s best cosmetic surgeons is on trial accused of mutilating and endangering the lives of dozens of men and women, French news agency AFP reported. It said Dr Michel... Read more

Heart disease on the rise in developing countries

13 June 2008 | Foreign News

Cardiovascular disease is now endemic worldwide and no longer limited to economically developed countries, a study by New Zealand researchers published in The Lancet has concluded. It found that 80 per cent of deaths connected to high blood pressure (HBP)... Read more

Council elects President

Gary Culliton | 13 June 2008 | Regulation

Psychiatrist Prof. Kieran Murphy from Beaumont Hospital was regarded as a front runner for the position of President of the new Medical Council, as Irish Medical Times went to press. A member of the outgoing Council, Dr Anna Clarke from... Read more

Why should patients have to wait for urgent tests?

Dr Illona Duffy | 13 June 2008 | Features, General Practice

Dr Illona Duffy thinks that Prof Tom Keane's plans for GPs to take on a bigger role in the care of cancer patients will result in longer waiting times for diagnostic tests — and lower standards of patient care as... Read more

GPs should be paid for quitters

Greg Baxter | 13 June 2008 | Public Health

GPs should be paid to help patients quit smoking, a European report on GPs and smoking cessation has recommended. The report by the European body PESCE – General Practitioners and Economics of Smoking Cessation in Europe — recommends that GPs... Read more

Nursing homes need to be monitored

Sandra Ryan | 13 June 2008 | General Practice

GPs should become more involved in nursing home care, to keep a ‘trail of accountability’ to prevent another crisis like Leas Cross . ‘As we saw in Leas Cross, the Health Service Executive’s first reflex is to report doctors and... Read more

Number of deliveries at NMH a ‘challenge’

Mary Anne Kenny | 13 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

The number of deliveries at the National Maternity Hospital, together with the continual increase in their complexity, is proving to be a challenge, according to hospital Master, Dr Michael Robson. Writing in the hospital’s Annual Report 2007, Dr Robson said... Read more

Imager machines 'will not lie idle', says HSE

Alan Deeley | 13 June 2008 | Public Health

The HSE insists that imager machines typically used for cytology readings ‘will not lie idle’ when all cervical smear tests currently performed in Ireland are outsourced to Quest Diagnostics. A Health Service Executive spokesperson said that imager leases clashing with... Read more

Higgins' appeal is 'flawed', says CEO

Sandra Ryan | 12 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

An appeal lodged with An Bord Pleanala delaying the development of added facilities on the Beaumont Hospital campus has been harshly criticised by the hospital’s Chief Executive, Mr Liam Duffy. Former TD and Socialist Party leader Mr Joe Higgins lodged... Read more

New categories for Irish awards

Mary Anne Kenny | 12 June 2008 | Health Management, Research and Education

Keeping to the high standards set in previous years, the 2008 Irish Healthcare Awards will reward people and projects that have made a difference or demonstrated innovation in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Irish Medical Times is calling for entries... Read more

Top-up fee for podiatrists ‘commonplace’

12 June 2008 | Public Health

Podiatrists in Ireland are increasingly asking patients with medical cards to pay a €10-€20 ‘top-up’ fee – otherwise, they are relying on payments under the GMS, which they say are ‘too small’ and procedurally restrictive. Mr Donald Maxwell, administrator for... Read more

Breast cancer increase

Sandra Ryan | 12 June 2008 | Public Health

New research from the UK has shown that cases of breast cancer are on the increase, with predictions that by 2024, one in seven women will be diagnosed with the disease. Researchers at the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre in... Read more

Redress needed for women over 40

Alan Deeley | 12 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

A non-adversarial redress system for women who suffered at the hands of Dr Michael Neary, but who are ruled out from the main scheme because of age, is very close, according to Patient Focus. Patient Focus coordinator Ms Sheila O’Connor... Read more

Over 10,000 cards allocated in April

Ian McGuinness | 12 June 2008 | Public Health

Nearly 10,700 additional patients have been added to full medical card lists in the space of one month, according to the latest figures from the Primary Care. Reimbursement Service. The figures for 1 May show that in the preceding month... Read more

HIQA hosts RDS event

Gary Culliton | 12 June 2008 | Health Management, Research and Education

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is to host a major international conference involving 1,600 international delegates at Dublin’s RDS in two years’ time. The Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) Conference will be held from June 6-9, 2010. HIQA’s... Read more

Celebrating the life of the older woman

Liz McManus | 12 June 2008 | Features, Public Health

Liz McManus, Labour TD, writes about the lives of older women in Ireland today and finds that although there are still issues to be overcome, women aged over 55 have much to look forward to and also much to celebrate.... Read more

Violence guide launched

Sandra Ryan | 12 June 2008 | General Practice

GPs are probably seeing one or two female patients a week who have experienced domestic violence, but the majority of doctors are not asking the right questions, a conference on women’s health was told at the weekend, where the first... Read more

IMPACT told 100 full-time posts will be cut

By Ian McGuinness | 11 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

The trade union IMPACT has claimed its members have been informed that the equivalent of 100 full-time posts are to be cut from the health services in the Dublin-Mid Leinster region. Mr Kevin Callinan, National Secretary of the union’s Health... Read more

Continued concern over psychiatric units

Sandra Ryan | 11 June 2008 | Private Healthcare

The Mental Health Commission have raised serious concerns about a number of psychiatric hospitals and units, which they say remain particularly affected by last year’s Health Service Executive’s recruitment freeze. They estimate 460 posts are still unfilled. In the Commission’s... Read more

Three million receiving life-saving HIV drugs

11 June 2008 | Foreign News

At the end of last year, almost three million people were receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNAIDS and UNICEF. The report also found that there... Read more

FAI to go smoke-free

11 June 2008 | Public Health

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Health Service Executive met last week in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin to develop a smoke-free policy for Irish soccer. The FAI and the HSE will develop this plan with a view to introducing... Read more

Dr William (Bill) Casey – an appreciation

11 June 2008 | Obituary

Dr Bill Casey passed away peacefully after a short illness and will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. William Bernard (Bill) Casey pass-ed away peacefully on 17 April 2008. A native of Clifden, Co Galway, Bill was the... Read more

IPHA Golf Classic to benefit Township Trust

11 June 2008 | Foreign News, Planning and Development

The 10th Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) Annual Charity Golf Classic will take place at the Glen of the Downs Golf Club, Delganey, Co. Wicklow on Thursday, 26 June. The proceeds of this year’s event will go to the Niall... Read more

Exercise keeps you younger says report

Mary Anne Kenny | 11 June 2008 | Public Health

Current regular participation in sport is equivalent, in health terms, to being 14 years younger, according to a new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Irish Sports Council. Sporting Lives: An Analysis of a Lifetime of... Read more

Porters fail in bid for equal pay claim

Ian McGuinness | 11 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Porters at Cavan General Hospital have failed to win a pay increase in a case taken to the Equality Tribunal. SIPTU took the case, under employment equality legislation, on behalf of 13 of its members. The porters claimed they did... Read more

Legislation has little impact on drivers

Greg Baxter | 10 June 2008 | Public Health

Drivers continue to use handheld mobile phones at roughly the same rate that they did before it was made illegal to do so — despite the fact that they can now get fined and penalty points for doing so. A... Read more

Dublin weighting is heavy issue for HSE

Alan Deeley | 10 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

Proposals for a Dublin Weighting Allowance are still live, according to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), which has welcomed a senior HSE official’s acknowledgement of the cost of living in Dublin as a ‘first’. HSE Assistant National Director, Mr Martin... Read more

Swords Clinic waiting for decision

Ian McGuinness | 10 June 2008 | Planning and Development

A planning application for a four-storey medical clinic in Swords is still awaiting a decision from Fingal County Council. The application by the Airside Clinic was submitted to the local authority in January and there have been no objections to... Read more

Hidden horrors come to light

Sandra Ryan | 10 June 2008 | Foreign News, Public Health

Sandra Ryan reports on the issue of female genital mutilation — the results of which, according to anecdotal reports, are now being witnessed by doctors in Ireland. Female genital mutilation (FGM, or ‘cutting’, as is the more politically-correct term) is... Read more

Administrative action could seriously affect HSE activities

Ian McGuinness | 10 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

Ian McGuinness on IMPACT's decision to withhold a range of statistics from the HSE and the effect that this administrative action might have. IMPACT’s ongoing industrial action in the health services is not grabbing a huge amount of headlines but... Read more

Pharmacists face negative equity

Gary Culliton | 10 June 2008 | Health Management, Interviews

Gary Culliton speaks to Mr Jim Canavan, UniPhar CEO, about how pharmacies have reduced in value over the last 18 months . Pharmacies may have reduced in value by one third over the last 18 months and young pharmacists who... Read more

Osteopath had ready-made systems for all of his patients

Ed Madden | 10 June 2008 | Features, Medico-Legal

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a case in which the Court of Appeal considered whether an osteopath had been inappropriately sanctioned by a Fitness to Practice Committee. Donald Moody was a registered osteopath of many years’ experience. A complaint was... Read more

Life as a GP in Malawi —the warm heart of Africa

Dr Martina Collins | 10 June 2008 | Foreign News, General Practice

Dr Martina Collins writes about her experiences as a volunteer GP in the African country of Malawi, where her daily struggles with a lack of resources were offset by a real sense of making a difference to people's lives. Trying... Read more

Community services to grow

Greg Baxter | 08 June 2008 | Interviews, Public Health

Greg Baxter spoke to Mr Jim Joyce, CEO of Point of Care, a company whose specialist infusion clinics spare patients from making trips to hospital. The opening of the second Point of Care clinic – a specialist nursing infusion centre... Read more

Country has biggest AIDS treatment programme

07 June 2008 | Foreign News

South Africa, which has the highest HIV positive population of any country, now boasts the world’s biggest AIDS treatment programme, according to Reuters. With an estimated 5.4 million of South Africa’s 48 million people living with HIV, government statistics showed... Read more

Major differences in heart failure treatment

07 June 2008 | Foreign News

A Europe-wide survey has revealed significant differences between doctors in the way they treat patients with heart failure, with many doctors failing to give the best care to their patients despite the existence of recommended guidelines, according to a study... Read more

'Patchy' services affect patient care

Sandra Ryan | 07 June 2008 | Features, Public Health

Sandra Ryan looks at osteoporosis services in Ireland, after a new study revealed that European patients fare worse than those in other continents. In a first-of-its-kind study on osteoporosis, one in four women surveyed from Europe, North America and Australia... Read more

IMPACT warns HSE from taking action against its members

By Ian McGuinness | 06 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

The trade union IMPACT has warned the Health Service Executive not to take action against its members, who will be extending their industrial action from Monday, 9 June. On that date, IMPACT members are to refuse to provide a range... Read more

Do referral letters have a function any more?

Dr Paul Heslin | 06 June 2008 | Features

Dr Paul Heslin wonders if the referral letter has had its day and if the GP's role has been marginalised Will the new Medical Council change our approach towards GP referral letters to consultants, as recently announced? Will patients now... Read more

E-health: Detecting patterns in diabetes

Helix Health | 06 June 2008 | Features, Information Technology

A project being carried out by Waterford Institute of Technology's Telecommunications Software & Systems Group aims to employ technology in order to enhance the care of people with diabetes. MORE is a research project that is currently being undertaken by... Read more

Crucial statistics denied to HSE as industrial action moves up a gear

Ian McGuinness | 06 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

The trade union IMPACT is expanding its industrial action by refusing to send crucial statistics to the Health Service Executive (HSE). A union spokesperson told Irish Medical Times that as of Monday, 9 June, its members will not provide information... Read more

Jobs embargo causing a BCG backlog

Ian McGuinness | 06 June 2008 | Public Health

The HSE’s recruitment embargo has contributed to 900 children in Galway city and county being on waiting lists to receive the BCG vaccine. The news comes after Irish Medical Times reported last week that 9,654 children were waiting for the... Read more

RCPI audit highlights training challenges

Sandra Ryan | 06 June 2008 | Research and Education

The first full audit of medical training posts in Ireland has been released by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), who have highlighted ‘significant’ challenges in postgraduate medical training (including the number of posts not actually accredited) and... Read more

Hospice Foundation to discuss funds with HSE

Ian McGuinness | 06 June 2008 | Public Health

The Irish Hospice Foundation has said it will wait until after it meets the HSE before deciding whether it will seek the referral of the HSE spending on palliative care in 2006 and 2007 to the Comptroller and Auditor General.... Read more

Public satisfied with HSE, despite media claims

Sandra Ryan | 06 June 2008 | Health Management

Public satisfaction with the HSE is much higher than the media claims, according to a new report from Dublin City University. Professor of Public Health at DCU, Prof Anthony Staines said the research, which was carried out by himself and... Read more

Contract costs to remain secret

Ian McGuinness | 06 June 2008 | Public Health

The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) has said it does not have to state the financial cost of the cervical screening contract, for which the US company Quest Diagnostics has been declared a ‘preferred bidder’. Irish Medical Times asked whether... Read more

Unnecessary management hinders services

Greg Baxter | 06 June 2008 | Health Management

Hospital doctors working in organised environments do not need multiple layers of supervision, Ireland’s cancer tsar said, possibly foreshadowing a radical approach to change in Ireland’s cancer services. Prof Tom Keane, Interim Director of the Cancer Control Programme, said: “Multiple... Read more

Councils clash over cases

Gary Culliton | 06 June 2008 | Regulation

Members of the outgoing Irish Medical Council have been told by the Council’s President to make themselves available to continue to preside over Fitness to Practice cases – after they formally leave office this week. Procedures under the 2007 Act... Read more

Tattooed Irish should be tested for hepatitis C

Gary Culliton | 06 June 2008 | Public Health

Irish people should consider being tested for hepatitis C if they have ever had a tattoo or body piercing using an unsterilised needle, or are uncertain about the sterility of a tattoo or piercing they received, said Ms Olivia Carr... Read more

Under-65s are not getting stroke care

Greg Baxter | 06 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Thousands of people under 65 who need rehabilitation services following stroke are not getting the care they need from the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, partly because of limited space and partly because they are not referred there. The... Read more

Authorities try to prevent outbreaks

06 June 2008 | Foreign News

Chinese health authorities are attempting to prevent disease outbreaks in areas hard hit by 12 May’s massive earthquake, but are confident they can stop large-scale epidemics, officials were quoted as saying. Reuters news agency reported that some 20,000 people are... Read more

Gynaecologist challenged suspension

Ed Madden | 06 June 2008 | Features, Medico-Legal

Ed Madden BL looks at a case in which a gynaecologist who was found guilty of serious professional misconduct sought to challenge the decision to suspend his registration with the GMC. Dr Said Arzhangi, who is now 65 years old,... Read more

Prescribed cannabis outlawed in Ireland

Alan Deeley | 05 June 2008 | Public Health

Doctors who disagree with health officials’ hostile stance on medicinal cannabis should ‘start with the Irish literature’, according to the campaigner highlighting patients’ impasse with Irish Customs to the European Commission. Mr Noel McCullagh, who lives with multiple sclerosis, said... Read more

Government urged to end all tobacco advertising

Greg Baxter | 05 June 2008 | Public Health

Ireland is ‘top of the tree’ when it comes to banning tobacco advertisements, according to Prof Luke Clancy, Director General of the Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society and Consultant Physician of Respiratory Diseases at St James’s Hospital. But... Read more

Mount Carmel gets permission to expand

05 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Mount Carmel Hospital has been granted permission by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the construction of new consulting suites and ultrasound rooms at its facility in Braemor Park in Churchtown. The one-storey building at the Dublin 14 site will also... Read more

Scientists query quality control

Sandra Ryan | 05 June 2008 | Public Health

The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) has warned that smear tests carried out by the HSE-approved American laboratory, Quest, will not be subject to any Irish quality control measures. “The State’s decision to outsource these tests means that all money... Read more

Ten-storey building gets the green light

Ian McGuinness | 05 June 2008 | Planning and Development

One of the proposed buildings in the Mater Hospital’s planned redevelopment can be three storeys higher, after planning permission was granted by Dublin City Council in late May. The hospital applied to revise planning permissions that it was previously granted,... Read more

35-hour working week is ruled too dear to implement

Ian McGuinness | 05 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

An attempt by the trade union SIPTU to get a 35-hour working week for its members in the health service has failed, after the Labour Court was told that such a move would cost €144 million per year. SIPTU pursued... Read more

Entries wanted for Healthcare Awards

Mary Anne Kenny | 04 June 2008 |

Irish Medical Times wants to hear from people who have been part of a development in healthcare that is a good example of excellence and innovation, or who have been involved in a project within the pharmaceutical or healthcare industries... Read more

Excessive alcohol linked to enlarged hearts in women

By Greg Baxter | 04 June 2008 | Public Health

Excessive alcohol drink-ing is linked to enlarged hearts in women and to hypertension in men, according to new research co-authored by a Trinity College Dublin academic. Dr Azra Mahmud, a lecturer in Cardiovascular Pharmacology, said excessive drinking has a direct... Read more

Lack of resources hampers gut care

Alan Deeley | 04 June 2008 | Public Health

Ireland leads global re-search on digestive disorders, but ‘lags behind’ in the clinical care provided to citizens affected, according to the President of the World Gastroenterology Organisation, Prof Eamonn Quigley. Doctors’ lack of clinical resources hampers further innovation in detecting... Read more

Crumlin gets new diabetes facilities

04 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

New facilities for children with diabetes have opened at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, which include the addition of a second floor to the Endocrinology Unit as well as a new Diabetes IT Management System. According to Dr... Read more

Crumlin gets new diabetes facilities

04 June 2008 | Hospital Medicine

New facilities for children with diabetes have opened at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, which include the addition of a second floor to the Endocrinology Unit as well as a new Diabetes IT Management System. According to Dr... Read more

New president for Pharmaceutical Society

04 June 2008 | Regulation

The Council of the PSI (Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland), the Pharmacy Regulator, has elected a new President — Dr Bernard Leddy from Waterford. “Pharmacists will face new and significant challenges. The PSI will help pharmacists to work through the dramatic... Read more

Cervical cancer vaccination recommended

Gary Culliton | 04 June 2008 | Public Health

A new cost-effectiveness analysis shows that universal HPV vaccination of 12 year old females would be cost-effective in Ireland. A report published today also recommends a once-off vaccination programme for 13 to 15 year-old females. At older ages, the vaccine... Read more

Cappagh celebrates centenary of care

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 04 June 2008 | Features, Hospital Medicine

Dr Nuala O'Farrell attended the recent Cappagh Hospital centenary celebrations and heard some good-news stories about our health service. Unsung heroes’ are, I suppose, by their very nature retiring, self-deprecatory and avoiding of the limelight. It takes a great atmosphere... Read more

IMO consultants vote in favour of contract

By Ian McGuinness | 04 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

Irish Medical Organisation consultants have voted in favour of the revised consultant contract by a margin of just over two to one. Sixty-eight per cent of the union’s consultant members voted to accept the new document, while 71 per cent... Read more

South Tipperary hit by staff shortages

By Ian McGuinness | 04 June 2008 | Industrial Relations

Ten beds are to be closed in South Tipperary General Hospital for three months because of staff shortages, the trade union IMPACT has claimed. It said that staff at the hospital were informed that annual leave during the summer period... Read more

Heart disease and stroke are the top global killers

04 June 2008 | Foreign News

Chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke have become the chief causes of death globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Reuters news agency cited the WHO’s annual report, which said the shift from infectious diseases — including... Read more

Abortion debate in UK fails to change upper time limits

Sandra Ryan | 02 June 2008 | Features, Foreign News

Sandra Ryan looks at the debate and vote that took place last week in Westminster and the reasons why MPs voted to keep the abortion status quo. Last week, MPs in Britain voted to reject attempts to reduce the upper... Read more

Ireland must fight for devices industry

Greg Baxter | 01 June 2008 | Features, Interviews

Greg Baxter spoke to Dr John O'Dwyer about how competition from other countries may threaten Ireland's medical devices industry. Ireland could lose irrevocable ground to Poland and the Czech Republic if it does not reduce bureaucracy in clinical trials for... Read more