Terence Cosgrave on how an economic downturn means that the Minister for Health must allocate scarcer funds on the basis that they will improve our health service in the long term, rather than satisfy short-term political goals. There is no doubt that Ireland is facing a new era that is not so much ‘Celtic Tiger’ [...]
Dear Editor, I would be grateful if you would advise your readers of a newly- established prize for European ophthalmologists, including Irish ophthalmologists. EuroTimes, the journal of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), has launched the John Henahan Prize, which will be awarded annually to a young ophthalmologist. John Henahan was the [...]
People in Ireland are watching more television than ever, and on more and bigger televisions than ever, and it’s destroying the world. From 1990 to 2006, average household electricity use per person increased by 62 per cent, according to Sustainable Energy Ireland. RTE’s website carried this explanation: “The 62 per cent spike is believed to [...]
Dr Mick Molloy says the recently published audit on SHO and Registrar posts throws up some very interesting questions for doctors and the HSE. Last week I wrote about the recently published Audit of SHO and Registrar Posts — May 2008. The report published data for SHO and Registrar posts together, in tabular and graphical [...]
Dear Editor, We would like to forward a price list from one of the local private clinics which may be of interest to GPs all over the country. We suspect that most GPs offer almost the exact same service for a fraction of the price and may reflect the fact that we undervalue our service. [...]
Dr Mark Hannon thinks importing the American model of making things convenient for customers might be a good idea for the health service. I have recently returned from a short trip to the USA and as usual, I was more than impressed by the lifestyle enjoyed by a large proportion of the US population. Of [...]
Terence Cosgrave thinks the lack of a clear debate on the Lisbon Treaty referendum bodes ill for the future. If the Lisbon Treaty referendum demonstrated anything, it was that Irish people are not content to take the word of politicians on issues such as the EU. The ‘Yes’ side was supported by all the major [...]
Dear Editor, We wish to clarify misinterpretations concerning WHO and UNAIDS positions on the status of the AIDS epidemic in recent articles in the national media. A recent story in the Independent on Sunday, for example (titled: ‘Threat of world AIDS pandemic among heterosexuals is over, report admits’) contained a few seriously misleading statements that [...]
Dear Editor, Dr Paul Heslin’s opinion in 6 June’s IMT (www.imt.ie/news/2008/06/do_referral_letters_have_a_fun.html) that referral is something that should be considered redundant and perhaps it is time for the profession to move on is, I assume, designed to provoke thought and response rather than an approach that should be embraced by general practice. GPs are not gatekeepers [...]
Dr Truls Christiansen, a Wicklow GP, agrees with some recent suggestions in Irish Medical Times — especially the need for a one-tier health service. I read with gloom in The Irish Times lately that patients will soon be able to go directly to specialists, eliminating the need to pass via the ‘gatekeeper’ – the GP. [...]
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