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Opinion: July 2009

HSE letter suggests reducing access to beds

Gary Culliton | 31 July 2009 | Guests

An internal HSE letter indicates that to reduce demand for hospital beds in the northeast, 'access to casualty' should be limited. Gary Culliton reports... Read more

Pricing ourselves out of the market?

Gary Culliton | 31 July 2009 | Guests

Gary Culliton explains the drugs payment system called 'reference pricing', which has been mooted by Minister Harney for introduction from next year... Read more

'Freeze overdraft levels' – Considine

Dara Gantly | 31 July 2009 | Guests

A draft version of the Considine report into various HSE accounting practices recommends an overdraft freeze at voluntary hospitals, writes Dara Gantly... Read more

Get to the heart of the matter

John Ryan | 31 July 2009 | Letter from America

Dr John Ryan spends his birthday and his first day of cardiology fellowship getting lost and applying pressure to strangers' groins — but it may well have been his best birthday ever... Read more

Good news in the gloom

Terence Cosgrave | 31 July 2009 | Editorial

Terence Cosgrave writes that winning an Irish Healthcare Award proves a project's merit and may secure funding... Read more

The coffee machine that spells my certain death

G.B. | 31 July 2009 | The Inside Back

The best and worst thing to ever happen in this office is the recent arrival of a very fancy coffee machine that makes both espresso and drip coffee. So now there is a constant pot of warm, semi-tasty coffee about... Read more

Some words of advice on avoiding the H1N1 flu virus

Garret Fitzgerald | 30 July 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald

Dr Garrett FitzGerald offers some tips to help you avoid being struck down with swine flu. Whatever you do, avoid all people, things and places — especially Donegal... Read more

Who will rescue us now?

Mick Molloy | 30 July 2009 | Mick Molloy

Dr Mick Molloy wonders about the future of the unemployed, now that emigration is a less viable option and there seems to be no new industries ready to invest in Ireland... Read more

EU hopes to break barriers to telemedicine

29 July 2009 | Guests

The European Commission has published its aims to deploy telemedicine more widely across member states and integrate it into health policies... Read more

New rules force doctors out

Mr Bejoy Philip | 29 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, The recent announcement by the Depart-ment of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, ‘Notice regarding non-EEA doctors’, reads that ‘as and from July 1, 2009, all non-EEA doctors who are on Trainee Specialist Registration (all the doctors who are... Read more

Social medicine role varies across the world

Laurence O'Dwyer | 29 July 2009 | Guests

Laurence O'Dwyer on how the principles of social medicine are bringing the medical skills and technology of Harvard to the impoverished country of Haiti... Read more

Woman answered questions to the best of her knowledge

Ed Madden | 29 July 2009 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in which the insurer refused to pay out on an insurance 'living cover' policy when the woman who had the policy developed MS... Read more

Last-minute tips from awards experts

Niamh Mullen | 29 July 2009 | Guests

With only one week remaining to get your entries in for Ireland’s most prestigious healthcare awards, Niamh Mullen offers some last-minute advice from the experts... Read more

A week with the NHS: a view from the outside

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 24 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Amin A. Muhammad spent a week working as a locum in the UK to see what the situation is really like for a consultant in the NHS... Read more

A great loss to science and medicine

24 July 2009 | Guests

An outstanding doctor and scientist — and also a dear friend and colleague — has been lost after the untimely death of Prof John Feely last month... Read more

Chasing Utopia as the world watches the end of Neverland

Dr John Ryan | 20 July 2009 | Letter from America

Dr John Ryan writes that as the world was watching blanket media coverage of Michael Jackson's death, he was consumed by thoughts of his new life in Chicago. Everything changed the day Michael Jackson died, because it was the day... Read more

Skibbereen GP keeps an eye on world medicine

June Shannon | 20 July 2009 | Guests

June Shannon speaks to Dr Michael Boland on his recent retirement as Director of the ICGP’s Postgraduate Resource Centre, after 25 years with the College. Irish general practice owes a huge debt of gratitude to Dr Michael Boland, who has... Read more

Staffing concerns resolved in Central Mental Hospital

Dara Gantly | 20 July 2009 | Guests

Dara Gantly reports that staffing issues in the Central Mental Hospital have been addressed and that the hospital is to stay in Dundrum. The Clinical Director of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) has stated that recent concerns over staffing levels... Read more

Ireland to answer to EU Court of Justice

Dara Gantly | 20 July 2009 | Guests

Dara Gantly reports that Ireland has been referred to the European Court of Justice due to Vhi's exemption from some EU rules on non-life insurance. The European Commission (EC) has referred Ireland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over... Read more

Ponderings on privacy in hospital

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 20 July 2009 | Guests

I had not, until I experienced it myself, realised how much trouble a displaced hammer-toe can cause. Frequent visits to a chiropodist, which necessitated dressings and an inability to wear my favourite shoes, made me increasingly feel like the dead... Read more

Website helps with alcohol concerns

Helix Health | 20 July 2009 | Guests

A new website aims to help people who have concerns regarding their drinking habits by offering help that is tailored to their specific needs. People concerned about their drinking habits can get help tailored to their needs via a UK-based... Read more

Transport services to be restructured

Niamh Mullen | 19 July 2009 | Guests

Niamh Mullen writes that HSE spending on cabs for patients and staff last year cost more than three times the budget shortfall of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. A review of patient transport services is under way at the... Read more

If it's broken, maybe it ain't worth fixing

Dr Paul Stewart | 19 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Paul Stuart gives the Government a few timely lessons about when to recognise if something, although broken, is just not worth the bother of mending What does Anglo Irish Bank have, in the mind of the Government, that the... Read more

Application Form: Download the Irish Healthcare Awards '09 brochure

18 July 2009 | Guests

The deadline for the Irish Healthcare Awards is looming: entries must be received by 3 p.m. on August 7. Download the pdf of the brochure. The categories are: Best Education Project – General Practice/Pharmacy Best Hospital Project Best Educational Meeting... Read more

Symphysiotomy was an abusive use of authority

Marie O’Connor | 17 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, Dr [John] McCarthy has queried my raising of symphysiotomy in the context of abuse victims (3 July). Symphysiotomy was practiced in Ireland until 1984. The surgery severed the pubic bones, unhinging the pelvis. Around 120 mothers today live... Read more

Dognosticians give paws for thought

Garrett FitzGerald | 17 July 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald

Dr Garrett FitzGerald takes a look at dog diagnosticians that have the ability to sniff out tumours and wonders how they would fit into the Irish healthcare system. I have been advised to get a Portuguese water dog or a... Read more

We really need a critic like Charles Baudelaire

G.B. | 17 July 2009 | The Inside Back

I was recently reading a very good essay in an online journal about the influence of Charles Baudelaire on other art critics of his time. I was a big fan of his poetry and knew very little about him as... Read more

Insurance company could rely on general practitioner's report

Ed Madden BL | 17 July 2009 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which a woman claimed that she had been unlawfully discriminated against when an insurance company refused her application for life insurance. In May 2006, a woman referred a case to the Equality... Read more

Feeding the problem?

Terence Cosgrave | 17 July 2009 | Editorial

Terence Cosgrave asks if we are actually subsidising the illegal drug industry by restricting the supply of drugs. Last week, I wrote in this space about the need to adopt a more practical and saner approach to the issue of... Read more

Government ignoring advice on addiction

Dr Juliet Bressan | 17 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, I’d like to congratulate Terence Cosgrave on a superb editorial in the July 10 issue (www.imt.ie/opinion/2009/07/time_for_new_attitude_on_addic.html), in which he outlines the need for change in legal policy on drug use, violence and violent crime. Portugal has recently de-criminalised... Read more

Award winners blaze a trail of success

Niamh Mullen | 17 July 2009 | Guests

Niamh Mullen speaks to recipients of Irish Healthcare Awards in pharmaceutical categories about how their projects have evolved since their big win. Many projects that win an Irish Healthcare Award are so successful they continue to run long after the... Read more

Time for new attitude on addiction

Terence Cosgrave | 13 July 2009 | Editorial

Terence Cosgrave writes that we have created a massive problem of violence and criminal gangs by our attitude to drug users — which is helping no-one but the criminals who profit from the system. It's time for a change. Part... Read more

Think FAST to recognise stroke signs

Nycomed | 12 July 2009 | Guests

A Scottish initiative is urging people to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke, which is the third-biggest killer in Britain . An initiative to make the public more aware of the symptoms of stroke has been... Read more

Why do some people with impeccable taste sometimes have none?

G.B. | 12 July 2009 | The Inside Back

Tom Service, a music critic for The Guardian, wrote an article last week for the Irish Times (well, the Times published his syndicated article) regarding a music venture between Britain’s oldest symphony orchestra, the Hallé, and the world’s most sentimental... Read more

Dr Stanley Hewitt — an appreciation

12 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Stanley Hewitt passed away earlier this year and will be remembered for the pioneering work he did for Portiuncula Hospital and for his patients. Dr Stanley Hewitt, former Consultant Obstetrician-Gynae-cologist in Portiun-cula Hospital, Ballinasloe and Past Chairman of the... Read more

Go international for equity growth

John O'Connor | 11 July 2009 | Guests

John O'Connor writes that historically, equities have delivered the best long-term performance of any investment asset and offers a guide to international equities Every financial page you open seems to have at least one story devoted to the decline of... Read more

Highlighting the plight of refugees

Dr Brendan Kelly | 11 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Brendan Kelly reviews a new book about one doctor's experiences in treating Tibetan refugees in north India, who are exiled from their homeland A Doctor in Little Lhasa: One Year in Dharamsala with the Tibetans in Exile, by Timothy... Read more

Be sure to secure your future

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 11 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Nuala O'Farrell stresses the importance of taking out income protection and making provisions for your practice in the event of you becoming ill. Doctors are, historically, not good at providing for either their pensions or the possibility of major... Read more

Nursing homes support scheme

Aisling Gannon | 11 July 2009 | Guests

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors explains the terms and conditions of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act, which underpins the 'fair deal' nursing-home funding scheme. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 was signed by the President on July 1,... Read more

Listening to the patient

Alison Ledger | 11 July 2009 | Guests

At the International Association for Music & Medicine conference, Alison Ledger learns that Ireland is a leader in arts and medicine collaborations. The first-ever conference of the International Association for Music & Medicine (IAMM) was held at the Carlton Castletroy... Read more

Hospital services to be 'slashed' next month?

Dara Gantly | 10 July 2009 | Guests

Dara Gantly reports on the RCPI's claim that the European Working Time Directive will adversely affect patient care and hospital services. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) has called for the implementation of the European Working Time Directive... Read more

Hurling history on hallowed ground

Dr Garrett FitzGerald | 10 July 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald

At the dog track in Thurles, across the road from Semple, Dwan from Holycross couldn’t for the life of him make out why two of the best parking spots were being guarded against all-comers. There were three custodians of the... Read more

Making a mess of managing manpower

Dr Mick Molloy | 10 July 2009 | Mick Molloy

Dr Mick Molloy writes that stepwise change will not work when it comes to altering NCHD numbers and that the reduction in NCHD working hours should have been gradual. For those of you who have empty bookshelves, a table with... Read more

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a real medical condition

Dr Liv Bode | 10 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) is a physical disease. It is not a product of the patients’ imagination and is not a psychological problem. Funds have been used for research into the hypothetical psychiatric nature of the disease... Read more

Supreme Court critical of case taken against St Vincent's Hospital

Ed Madden | 10 July 2009 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Supreme Court case in which the Court found that proceedings taken on behalf of a psychiatric patient were initiated and maintained on purely technical and unmeritorious grounds. Ms E. H. is a single... Read more

Winners benefit from awards exposure

Niamh Mullen | 10 July 2009 | Guests

Niamh Mullen speaks to two previous winners of an Irish Healthcare Award in pharmaceutical categories. Educational projects, which reached a large number of doctors and members of the public, were among the winners of an Irish Healthcare Award last year.... Read more

ME Think Tank is lost opportunity

Dr John H Greensmith | 06 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, The European Think Tank for ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) is composed of ten of the most respected and esteemed doctors and researchers in the world, many of whom, including Irish representative Dr Derek Enlander (‘Belfast-born doctor pushes ME research’,... Read more

Symphysiotomy abuse claim unfair to obstetricians

John R. McCarthy | 05 July 2009 | Letters

Dear Editor, I have rarely been as annoyed by a letter as I have been by that of Marie O’Connor on symphysiotomy. Symphysiotomy is no longer performed – and has not been since, I think, the 1960s. The world has... Read more

Consultant primarily responsible for child's catastrophic injuries

Ed Madden | 05 July 2009 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL on a case in which the judge was severely critical of certain medical and nursing staff at Tralee Hospital after a baby suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of their negligence. On February 14, 2000 Paul Healy... Read more

Dr Catherine O'Connor — an appreciation

05 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Catherine O'Connor will be long remembered for her pioneering work in the field of sexual health in Ireland. Dr Catherine O’Connor, who recently passed away, touched the lives of many during her life. Originally from Ballyclough, Mallow, she went... Read more

New plan to harness internet power for health

Dara Gantly | 04 July 2009 | Guests

Dara Gantly writes that the EU is looking to formulate a new action plan for the information age, which could radically change the healthcare of tomorrow. If talking yogurt pots are used in a newspaper headline, chances are you’ll start... Read more

The Samaritan principle or the profit principle?

Dr Gerry Burke | 04 July 2009 | Guests

Dr Gerry Burke writes that Ireland should seriously re-think any moves towards a for-profit hospital system and concentrate instead on the Samaritan principle of healthcare. Privatising healthcare is a costly business. Increasing privatisation in Ireland has coincided with an increase... Read more

New nursing category in 2009 awards

Niamh Mullen | 03 July 2009 | Guests

For the first time, a special category for nurses has been added to the Irish Healthcare Awards this year, as Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Ladybird Book guide required on new registration system

Mick Molloy | 03 July 2009 | Mick Molloy

Dr Mick Molloy believes there are too many unanswered questions remaining over how the new trainee specialist register will impact on hospital services after the NCHD changeover. In the past week, I have received a number of emails, phone calls... Read more

Irish system faces shortfalls

Dara Gantly | 03 July 2009 | Guests

Dara Gantly on a new report, which found that Ireland's medical training system will lead to shortfalls in GPs and public health doctors by 2020. A new report analysing the labour market for 12 healthcare professions has predicted that shortfalls... Read more

Hospital infections rise in long-stay patients

Gary Culliton | 03 July 2009 | Guests

Gary Culliton writes that long hospital stays are one of the main risk factors when it comes to healthcare-acquired infections. Patients who have recovered from illness should leave hospital as soon as possible — before they become sick again.... Read more

It's a miracle! It's a miracle!

G.B. | 03 July 2009 | The Inside Back

The USA made it to the finals of the Confederation Cup by beating Spain 2 - 0. For those of you who do not know what the Confederation Cup is, it is an irrelevant soccer tournament in which, from what... Read more

A new deal for NCHDs

Terence Cosgrave | 03 July 2009 | Editorial

Terence Cosgrave wonders whether NCHDs will suffer as a result of their vote in support of the EWTD implementation. The vote by non-consultant hospital doctors in the Irish Medical Organisation’s ballot on recent Labour Court proposals was illuminating.... Read more