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News: December 2009

GPs are warned of further cuts in fees

Niamh Mullen | 27 December 2009 | General Practice

Doctors can expect further cuts in professional fees next year after the announcement in Budget 2010 that the Government wants to save at least €56 million on payments to professionals. IMO GP Committee Chairman Dr Ronan Boland said the IMO... Read more

Prescription charge will increase over time

Niamh Mullen | 26 December 2009 | Health Management

The IMO fears the prescription charge for medical card patients announced in Budget 2010 will be increased over time and will disproportionately affect the elderly, low-income groups and those suffering from chronic illnesses. IMO GP Committee Chairman Dr Ronan Boland... Read more

Our budgetary and economic position is ‘challenging’ — Harney

Gary Culliton | 23 December 2009 | Health Management

The Budget has cut a bill-ion euro from planned health spending for next year, with the 2010 figure projected at €14.828 billion, or some €1.013 billion below the pre-Budget outlook figure published by the Government on November 12. In the... Read more

Budget failed to tackle public health concerns

Gary Culliton/Niamh Mullen | 22 December 2009 | Health Management

The 2010 Budget has been slammed on health grounds, following cuts in excise duty of 12 cent per pint of beer and cider, 14 cent per half glass of spirits and of 60 cent per standard bottle of wine. Alcohol... Read more

IMO is frustrated at drop in alcohol duty

Staff reporter | 21 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has criticised the Government for reducing excise duty on all types of alcohol while we continue to have reports of the health and social harms caused by alcohol. Former IMO President Prof Joe Barry said:... Read more

Consultants meet Minister over pay cuts

Gary Culliton | 18 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

The IHCA was due to meet with Minister for Health Mary Harney on Tuesday (December 15) to ensure that proposed pay cuts to consultants’ salaries were applied ‘on the same basis’ as they will apply to all other comparable public... Read more

NCHD database to be created four years later

Dara Gantly | 18 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is set to develop a comprehensive database of all NCHDs and their posts, some four years after the move was first recommended in the Buttimer Report. The Executive has asked experts in the field to... Read more

'Modest' expenses filed by HSE Board

Niamh Mullen | 18 December 2009 | Health Management

HSE CEO Prof Brendan Drumm has claimed no travel or subsistence expenses as part of his ex-officio membership of the Executive’s Board, Irish Medical Times has learned. Chairman Liam Downey, however, incurred expenses of €19,247 between 2006 and 2009, including... Read more

Lifestyle counselling may open 'can of worms'

Niamh Mullen | 17 December 2009 | General Practice

Patient resistance, insufficient time, a lack of funding and training are the main barriers GPs see to counselling patients about their bad habits such as smoking, drinking and being overweight. A new study, published in the journal Family Practice found... Read more

All the news that's fit to print

Dara Gantly | 17 December 2009 | Health Management

There’s some good news and bad news from the health service this week. The good news is that the Department of Health and the HSE intends to merge its separate media monitoring contracts in order to completely digitise the service... Read more

'Deep clean' promised of Midwestern Regional

Gary Culliton | 17 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

In response to the hygiene report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on the Midwestern Regional Hospital, the HSE has acknowledged that hygiene standards in the hospital are ‘deeply unsatisfactory’. The Executive has put in place a plan... Read more

Licensing scheme for homeopathic medicines

Dara Gantly | 17 December 2009 | Regulation

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) is seeking submissions on a proposed new licensing system for homeopathic medicines. Interested parties have until December 31 to submit their views to the Board on its National Rules Scheme (NRS) for Homeopathic Medicinal Products... Read more

New RCSI registrar named

Staff reporter | 17 December 2009 | Research and Education

Prof Cathal Kelly has become the new registrar of the RCSI. The Consultant General and Vascular Surgeon in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, has been Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in the College since 2006. He is both... Read more

Budget will see roll-out of bowel cancer screening

Niamh Mullen | 16 December 2009 | Health Management

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has welcomed the Budget announcement that a national bowel cancer screening programme will be rolled out next year, saying it looked forward to discussions about how its €1 million funding will be spent. Chairman of... Read more

€8m on treatment abroad

Dara Gantly | 16 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

The National Treatment Purchases Fund (NTPF) has spent nearly €8 million over the past three years on sending patients abroad for treatment. According to new figures, some €7.722 million has been spent by the Fund since 2007 on sending 2,582... Read more

Search commences for Drumm's replacement

Niamh Mullen | 16 December 2009 | Health Management

The search for a replacement for one of the most challenging jobs in Ireland is underway, with the placement by the HSE of an advertisement in the national media for a new chief executive officer. Prof Brendan Drumm will step... Read more

PC centres are 'virtual' — FG

Niamh Mullen | 16 December 2009 | General Practice

The number of contracts signed for primary care centres has been disputed by Fine Gael health spokesperson Dr James Reilly. He said the claim that there were 90 centres was false and that most teams in place were ‘virtual in... Read more

Challenge to abortion ban

Dara Gantly | 15 December 2009 | Regulation

Three women living in Ireland are challenging Ireland’s ban on abortion in the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights this week. The women’s case was due to be heard on December 9 in Strasbourg in front of... Read more

Cancer boost in Galway

Brian Herron | 15 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

The addition of several new facilities at the Galway Clinic could have a ‘significant impact’ on cancer treatment services available in the Galway region, according to a spokesperson. Two new floors will add 46 new inpatient rooms, as well as... Read more

Adverse reactions for H1N1 vaccine at 483

Gary Culliton | 14 December 2009 | Public Health

A total of 483 reports of suspected adverse reactions to the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccines have been received by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB), as of December 2. The reports received to date remain consistent with the expected pattern of... Read more

Win Caribbean cruise with IMT

14 December 2009 | News

Irish doctors will now be able to combine relaxation with education by taking an eight-day cruise through the Caribbean and their CME points — courtesy of Irish Medical Times. The Tropical Medical Bureau has joined with TravelEd, a newly formed... Read more

VTEC increase may be linked to floods

Gary Culliton | 14 December 2009 | Public Health

Twenty-six cases of Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) have been reported in November, compared with between two and 10 cases for the same period in previous years, according to HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) specialist in public health medicine, Dr... Read more

Medical card hotline for TDs

Dara Gantly | 11 December 2009 | Health Management

The Department of Health is currently in discussions with the HSE over setting up a dedicated telephone number for Oireachtas members looking for information on constituents’ medical card applications. The proposal, revealed by the Minister for Health Mary Harney in... Read more

'All bets are off' on health plan

Gary Culliton | 11 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

A draft Transformational Plan for the Health Sector – details of which have been obtained by IMT – has been shelved, following the breakdown of trade union talks with the government last week. “All bets are off. This is not... Read more

Working Directive implementation could cut services

Dara Gantly | 11 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

HSE CEO Prof Brendan Drumm has acknowledged that the implementation of the 48-hour week for NCHDs may well impact negatively on the delivery of health services. In his recent report to the Board of the HSE, Prof Drumm indicated that... Read more

Fine Gael to tour FairCare proposal

Niamh Mullen | 10 December 2009 | Health Management

Fine Gael will tour all 43 constituencies of Ireland over the coming months to tell health professionals and members of the public about its FairCare health strategy. The first of the meetings took place in Drogheda to a crowd of... Read more

Colonoscopy waits still over 3 months

Gary Culliton | 10 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

November NTPF figures show a total of 852 people waiting more than three months for a colonoscopy, an increase of 189 since September figures were published. This is despite an instruction from Health Minister Mary Harney to the HSE a... Read more

HSE and IMO agree to arbitrator to review deal

Dara Gantly | 10 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

The HSE and IMO have agreed on a Scottish high-ranking representative of the British Medical Association (BMA) to carry out the promised independent operational review of the interim out-of-hours public health doctors’ service. Dr Charles Saunders, a consultant in Public... Read more

Council readvertises competence post

Dara Gantly | 09 December 2009 | Regulation

The Medical Council has been forced to readvertise the post of Head of Professional Competence (PC) following an unsuccessful interview process earlier in the autumn. Mr Marcus Balfe, Action CEO, informed a recent meeting of the Council that the initial... Read more

NCHD ballot deadline extended to January

Dara Gantly | 09 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

The deadline for balloting doctors on a new NCHD contract has been extended to January 31, 2010, Irish Medical Times has learned. It has been confirmed that the Labour Court arbitration process on the proposed contract will now take place... Read more

Planning permission for Crumlin ICU facility

Dara Gantly | 09 December 2009 | Planning and Development

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin (OLCHC) is seeking planning permission from Dublin City Council for a new two-storey intensive care unit (ICU). To be built partially over an existing building on campus, the unit will comprise 339.8 sqm at ground... Read more

300pc jump in calls to HSE's abuse help-line

Gary Culliton | 09 December 2009 | News

The HSE’s National Counselling Service (NCS) saw a 300 per cent increase in calls from survivors of abuse following publication of the Dublin Diocesan Report. Following the publication of the Report, the NCS put in place a ‘coordinated response so... Read more

UCC honours GP and gastroenterologist

Brian Herron | 09 December 2009 | News

University College Cork is honouring two medical professionals at this year’s Alumni Achievement Awards Ceremony for their outstanding work in two very different fields. Prof Eamonn Quigley was honoured for his internationally recognised work in the field of gastroenterology. Prof... Read more

'Outstanding' and 'original'

Staff reporter | 09 December 2009 | News

Renowned Irish surgeon and researcher, Professor Gerald O’Sullivan, was this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Irish Journal of Medical Science Awards last month. The immediate past president of the Royal College of Surgeons, Cork-born Professor O’Sullivan... Read more

'Herbal Viagra' full of prescription agents

Dara Gantly | 08 December 2009 | Public Health

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) has warned that many so-called ‘herbal Viagra’ products may contain dangerous levels of prescription-only medications for erectile dysfunction (ED). In a warning issued earlier this week (November 30), the IMB said such products promoted either... Read more

Elderly unlikely to discuss depression

Gary Culliton | 08 December 2009 | Research and Education

A new survey shows that almost 60 per cent of people over the age of 65 believe those in their age group would be reluctant to discuss depression. One quarter of respondents said they believed that depression is a state... Read more

High did-not-attend rates continue

Niamh Mullen | 07 December 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Only one of 28 public hospitals in the State is meeting the HSE’s target to reduce ‘did not attend’ (DNA) rates because large numbers of people are not showing up for their outpatient appointments. The most up-to-date figures, for August... Read more

National information BP campaign needed

Niamh Mullen | 07 December 2009 | Public Health

A national campaign is needed to educate Irish people about blood pressure, because 40 per cent do not know their blood pressure, and 54 per cent are unaware what constitutes a normal level. A study conducted by doctors at the... Read more

Skunk linked to increased risk of psychotic illness

Dara Gantly | 07 December 2009 | Public Health

Heavy use of the high-potency form of cannabis known as sinsemilla or ‘skunk’ has been shown to dramatically increase the risk of developing psychotic illnesses, psychiatrists have found. People who smoke skunk are in fact almost seven times more likely... Read more

Home dialysis treats hundreds in Ireland

Gary Culliton | 07 December 2009 | Public Health

More than 3,500 Irish people with kidney failure have been treated with home-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) since it was launched in Ireland, a conference on kidney disease in Dublin last week was told. There are currently over 2,400 people on... Read more

Cannabis is beneficial for MS confirms study

Dara Gantly | 04 December 2009 | Research and Education

Cannabis can reduce symptoms of spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, research published today (December 4) in the open access journal BMC Neurology has found. The systematic review revealed that five out six randomised controlled trials in the area reported... Read more

HRB research plan is 'delusional'

Niamh Mullen | 04 December 2009 | Research and Education

The Health Research Board (HRB) should abandon its recently published Strategic Business Plan 2010-2014 be-cause it is unrealistic, an Irish trained research expert has said. Speaking to Irish Medical Times at the Irish Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science and Industry... Read more

Easier advertising restrictions could hurt young GPs

Niamh Mullen | 04 December 2009 | General Practice

Easing of the advertising restrictions on doctors has provoked concern that younger GPs could have difficultly competing with established practices that have greater capacity to advertise services.... Read more

GPs should offer vaccine to all women of childbearing age

Niamh Mullen | 04 December 2009 | General Practice

GPs should offer the swine flu vaccine to all women of childbearing age, chair of the ICGP Education Committee, Dr Mary Favier, has said. “The advice is when a woman comes in for a pill prescription you should offer her... Read more

Young GPs usually treat themselves

Niamh Mullen | 03 December 2009 | General Practice

Most new GPs usually treat themselves, a survey by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has found. Around a third said they had a GP but usually treated themselves. Another 14 per cent said they usually treated themselves.... Read more

Tendering for GMS will corporatise primary care

Dara Gantly | 03 December 2009 | General Practice

Putting GMS contracts out to tender would pit ‘GPs against GPs’ and doctors against medical corporations in ‘bidding wars’ for state contracts, the IMO has warned. The union believes the proposal, contained in the McCarthy Report, would lead to the... Read more

HIV infections have doubled in 2009

Niamh Mullen | 03 December 2009 | Public Health

There has been a 100 per cent increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) attending St James’s Hospital this year. Overall, there has been a 20 per cent increase in the... Read more

Concern over co-op entry criteria for GPs

Niamh Mullen | 03 December 2009 | General Practice

Young GPs have expressed concern about reports that an establishing GP was refused access to a co-op after it changed its entry criteria. It is understood the co-op in question changed its entry criteria from any GMS doctor to requiring... Read more

Three hospitals named as waiting-list worst offenders

Dara Gantly | 02 December 2009 |

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has revealed that more than half of the 477 patients still waiting longer than 12 months for their operation are on waiting lists in just three hospitals. According to the latest figures from the... Read more

IMO wants tax hike on cigarettes and booze

Dara Gantly | 02 December 2009 | Industrial Relations

The IMO has challenged the Government to prioritise the country’s scarce resources so that children, older people, those with disability and the poor are ‘cherished by the State and not abandoned’. Calling on the Minister for Finance to use next... Read more

Health literacy schemes highlighted by awards

Terence Cosgrave | 02 December 2009 | News

New research shows that only 31 per cent of GPs are aware that half of the Irish population has low literacy skills, and consequently may not be successfully communicating key messages to their patients. In order to combat this, the... Read more

Young don't have access to trusted adults — study

Niamh Mullen | 02 December 2009 | Research and Education

Early findings from a massive national study on the mental health of young people show that 20 per cent feel they have nobody to talk to about their problems. The My World research project by Headstrong also found more than... Read more

Order of Malta ambulances rush aid to flood victims

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2009 | News

A fleet of at least 13 ambulances from Dublin Region, Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, brought relief to flood victims in the Athlone area last Sunday. They carried relief aid to the people of Athlone and Ballinasloe in response to... Read more

New treatment option for prostate cancer

Dara Gantly | 01 December 2009 |

The first new treatment option for advanced prostate cancer in twenty years has been officially launched in Ireland today (December 1). Firmagon (degarelix) is indicated for the treatment of adult males with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Marketed by Ferring Pharmaceuticals,... Read more

Families could save €400 on health insurance premiums

Niamh Mullen | 01 December 2009 | Private Healthcare

FAMILIES could save up to €400 on their health insurance premiums, the Health Insurance Authority (HIA) has said. It has started an online campaign to alert people to the savings they could make. It claims the majority of private health... Read more

Patients to be asked about their drinking at Emergency Departments

Niamh Mullen | 01 December 2009 | Public Health

PATIENTS presenting at emergency departments in four hospitals will be asked about their drinking habits from today (December 1). The initiative has been set up by the HSE following a pilot scheme during the summer.... Read more

Cervical cancer vaccine should be in Budget plan

Niamh Mullen | 01 December 2009 | Public Health

Provision for the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine for all 12-year-old girls should be made in next month’s Budget. A pre-Budget submission made by the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Society for... Read more

€55 million in funds available for swine flu

Dara Gantly | 01 December 2009 | Public Health

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been advised that funding up to a level of €55 million is available to cover the projected costs associated with H1N1 in 2009. The Executive is working with the Department of Health (DOH) in... Read more

Trauma a big killer for drug addicts

Niamh Mullen | 01 December 2009 | Public Health

Trauma, such as a car crash, caused two-thirds of deaths among drug users between 1998 and 2005 with medical causes like cardiac events, respiratory infections and liver disease accounting for the other third. In the first piece of research of... Read more