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Opinion: January 2010

The last chance saloon

Dara Gantly | 29 January 2010 | Editorial

With last orders still pending, Dara Gantly wonders whether the alcohol industry is in need of a proper debate on promotion, minimum prices and warnings... Read more

Vaccine expert welcomes HPV programme

Niamh Mullen | 29 January 2010 | Guests

The co-creator of the HPV vaccine talks about the power of immunisation in the prevention of cervical cancer. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Two-tier system criticised in Expert Group submissions

Niamh Mullen | 29 January 2010 | Guests

Support for a universal health insurance scheme is clear in submissions to the Department of Health on resource allocation. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Reinventing the trolley wheel

Dr Garrett FitzGerald | 28 January 2010 | Garrett FitzGerald

Dr Garrett FitzGerald examines why measures to banish the trolley from the Emergency Department in Limerick do not have a snowball's chance in 'clinical winter' of succeeding... Read more

Law office to gobble up HSE's projected savings

Kealan Flynn | 28 January 2010 | Guests

It is ludicrous that the new HSE legal department is set to cost up to €800,000 — especially when the Executive is outsourcing its legal services needs, writes Kealan Flynn... Read more

Democracy has jumped the shark

G.B. | 28 January 2010 | The Inside Back

A big decision by the US Supreme Court has put the future of democracy in a bit of a pickle, and the fallout is likely to be felt around the world in just a few generations of elections. The court... Read more

Co-ops should take over role of GP Units

28 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, I would like to comment on the points raised by Dr Kevin O’Doherty in his letter in your recent publication (Irish Medical Times, 1 & 8 January 2010), and to take issue with many of them as his... Read more

Resource allocation FOIs

28 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, With reference to your two recent articles on resource allocation (Irish Medical Times, 1 & 8 January, 2010, pages 1 & 4), it is not surprising that your good paper had to resort to the Freedom of Information... Read more

A demographic time bomb

28 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, Ireland has one of the fastest growing elderly populations in Europe. The Government Green Paper on Pensions states that in 50 years ,there will be two people of working age to support one pensioner. No combination of State... Read more

Abortion stance in ethical guide

28 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Prof Murphy, Thank you for sending me the recently revised copy of the ‘Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners’, 7th edition 2009. The publication has always represented good common sense and a valuable guide. However,... Read more

Murderer had antipathy to elderly female patients

Ed Madden, BL | 27 January 2010 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in England in which a nurse appealed against his conviction for the murder of four elderly female patients and the attempted murder of another... Read more

Depressive psychosis, involuntary ECT and human rights

Dr Brendan Kelly | 27 January 2010 | Guests

Dr Brendan Kelly writes that removing the possibility of involuntary electro-convulsive therapy for patients with severe mental illness may be a violation of their rights to medical care — and even their right to life... Read more

Cause célebre or cause for concern?

Mike Power | 27 January 2010 |

Following the recent news that Brian Lenihan is fighting a serious illness, Mike Power reflects on the relationship between leadership and health... Read more

Enabling dignity at patient's end of life

Paul Murray | 27 January 2010 | Guests

Paul Murray of the Irish Hospice Foundation reports on the ongoing findings from the national audit on end-of-life care... Read more

Healthcare moves out of the hospital

Niamh Mullen | 27 January 2010 | Guests

Niamh Mullen speaks to Vhi Healthcare medical director Dr Bernadette Carr about two new services for members... Read more

Mentorship scheme in psychiatry

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 27 January 2010 | Guests

Dr Amin A. Muhammad considers the benefits of introducing the Canadian mentorship programme in psychiatry in Ireland... Read more

Och aye the noo service

Dara Gantly | 22 January 2010 | Editorial

Dara Gantly believes the Government should follow the Scottish lead in colorectal cancer and screen all those between 50 and 74 years of age... Read more

Sale of the century for psychiatric funds

22 January 2010 | Guests

Dara Gantly reports on the disposal and reinvestment of mental health assets ahead of the Government’s expected announcement of a new five-year capital programme... Read more

Harney announces u-turn on cervical cancer vaccine

Gary Culliton | 22 January 2010 | Guests

Gary Culliton on Mary Harney's announcement last week about a number of cancer initiatives... Read more

Groups want explicit warnings on alcohol

Dara Gantly | 22 January 2010 | Guests

The Government should introduce a French-style logo on alcohol products warning of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

How to get 'a head' in life...

Dr Garrett FitzGerald | 21 January 2010 | Garrett FitzGerald

With research confirming that aerobic exercise-training increases brain volume in the elderly, Dr Garrett FitzGerald fears a new race of geriatric long-distance runners with 200-watt heads... Read more

Snow fun when bad weather and bad planning collide

Dr Mick Molloy | 21 January 2010 | Mick Molloy

Dr Mick Molloy writes that our lack of preparedness for adverse conditions has placed severe strain on hospitals, as fracture presentations surge... Read more

Does human life have value, and why?

G.B. | 21 January 2010 | The Inside Back

I recently had a conversation with a friend regarding the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. He’d sent a funny email as soon as he heard - about how US bankers had somehow caused it in order to deflect attention away from... Read more

Aindreas McEntee prize open to medical writers

21 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, Aindreas McEntee, who died after a short illness in January 2005, was a gifted writer and journalist with the Anglo Celt newspaper in Cavan and the Irish Press group, where he worked from 1978 to 1995. He was... Read more

Judiciary has taken narrow view on bias

21 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, Mr Ed Madden’s article ‘Domiciliary midwife loses High Court challenge’ (Irish Medical Times, January 1 & 8, 2010) is hugely interesting and raises many issues. Mr Madden describes the case of a domiciliary midwife, Ms Ann O’Ceallaigh, who... Read more

Practitioner claimed delay in hearing breached his rights

Ed Madden, BL | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at an English High Court case in which an operating department practitioner claimed that a delay in convening a disciplinary hearing against him was a breach of his human rights... Read more

Marking those medical meetings

Dr Charles DuPont | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Dr Charles DuPont measures the worth of international conferences according to his own unique cost-benefit analysis... Read more

Alternative to warfarin therapy launched

Niamh Mullen | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Niamh Mullen reports from New Orleans on the drug that could replace warfarin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism... Read more

New guidelines from WHO on HIV treatment

Dara Gantly | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Dara Gantly reports on new medical advice to HIV-positive mothers and their infants... Read more

Lack of funding is short sighted

20 January 2010 | Guests

Medics at the Western Vascular Institute have used a new device that can not only save limbs, but also thousands of euro compared with amputation... Read more

From IT bench to bedside

Niamh Mullen | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Niamh Mullen reports on how one Irish company is bringing a new vista on hospital patient care to centres in the Far East and closer to home... Read more

The Nursing Home Support Scheme

John Costello | 20 January 2010 | Guests

Described by the Minister for Health as ‘A Fair Deal’ for all, the NHSS poses a number of legal issues for doctors, according to John Costello of Beauchamps Solicitors... Read more

Another 48 hours in the health service

Dara Gantly | 15 January 2010 | Editorial

Dara Gantly wonders why, despite having 11 years in which to plan, Ireland remains so ill-prepared for the implementing of the EWTD... Read more

Hopefuls under starter’s orders

Niamh Mullen | 15 January 2010 | Guests

There’s still time to have a flutter on who will replace Prof Brendan Drumm as Chief Executive of the HSE, reports Niamh Mullen... Read more

VHI defends price hikes as thousands leave market

Gary Culliton | 15 January 2010 | Guests

Gary Culliton on VHI's claim that price increases are necessary to best provide for its older clientele... Read more

Mental health facility for teenagers opens

Dara Gantly | 15 January 2010 | Guests

A new private inpatient psychiatric facility for teenagers — only the second in the country — will take referrals directly from GPs, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

No debate on health changes

Dr Garret Fitzgerald | 14 January 2010 | Garrett FitzGerald

Dr Garret Fitzgerald writes that although the last number of years have seen the most significant changes ever in Ireland's health system, the public have had no say in the matter... Read more

Ground control to Dr Ryan

Dr John Ryan | 14 January 2010 | Letter from America

Opting for Cape Canaveral instead of the conference centre, Dr John Ryan believes medicine could perhaps learn a thing or two from NASA, where a zero error-rate is the only option... Read more

Drawing the tan line

Dr Paul Stewart | 14 January 2010 | Guests

Disappointed with the ministerial back-pedalling over banning sunbeds, Dr Paul Stewart believes the scientific evidence means Mary Harney must now act... Read more

Close the schools! Open the schools!

G.B. | 14 January 2010 | The Inside Back

My eight-month-old son got a bath in slightly warmed Evian bottled water over the weekend, while our water was off. We weren’t going to bathe him at all, but after two barfs and an explosive poo, the wipes weren’t working... Read more

A devaluing of general practice will cause exodus

14 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, Those who would devalue general practice in Ireland might well learn from a similar Canadian experience, which resulted in a mass exodus of doctors from that country to the extent that about 15 per cent of Canadians have... Read more

Submission to NCSS — pay GPs for opportunistic smears

14 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, It was with disbelief (but somehow also resignation) that I read the full page advertisement in your publication of 11/12/09 by the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) in relation to ‘hard to reach’ or marginalised populations. The NCSS... Read more

‘DNA’ profiling required by Health Service Executive

14 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, As per your recent article entitled ‘High did-not-attend rates continue’ of December 4, 2009 (www.imt.ie/news/2009/12/high_didnotattend_rates_contin.html), there may be multiple reasons for the large number of people not showing up for appointments. But no reason is given by the... Read more

Frozen embryos do not enjoy constitutional protection

Ed Madden, BL | 13 January 2010 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at the recent Supreme Court case, which considered whether three frozen embryos enjoyed the protection of article 40.3.3 of the Constitution... Read more

Curtain raiser on docklands

Dr John Wallace | 13 January 2010 | Guests

Dr John Wallace looks at some of the exciting architectural developments to emerge on Dublin’s Grand Canal Square... Read more

Epidemics of the past still relevant

13 January 2010 | Guests

Dr Robert O'Sullivan looks back at some of the main epidemics and plagues recorded throughout history and asks if we can learn any lessons from them... Read more

The health of our body politic

Dara Gantly | 08 January 2010 | Editorial

Dara Gantly believes greater openness would not necessarily preclude somone with an illness from holding high public office... Read more

GP training scheme reforms urged by CA

Niamh Mullen | 08 January 2010 | Guests

A proposal for the reform of GP training is outlined by the Competition Authority in its latest report on the profession. Niamh Mullen reports on its findings... Read more

Letting the 'Mad Men' loose on medicine

Dr Garrett FitzGerald | 07 January 2010 | Garrett FitzGerald

Now that the Medical Council has eased up on the restrictions on doctors advertising, Dr Garrett FitzGerald wonders how far, low and high the profession will go to sell its services... Read more

Silver scissors to golden years

Dr Mick Molloy | 07 January 2010 | Mick Molloy

While public sector pay cuts have stolen the limelight from Budget 2010, Dr Mick Molloy believes changes in pension rights might prove a more lasting headache... Read more

A die-hard fan’s guide to film

Dr Pat Harold | 07 January 2010 | Guests

A 'Die Hard' fan of 1980s action movies, Dr Pat Harold says he'll be watching the Bruce Willis film again over the holidays to recall America's indefatigable spirit and a time of evil 'hairy foreigners'... Read more

Uganda considers death by hanging for evil homosexuals

G.B. | 07 January 2010 | The Inside Back

In Uganda, where, according to The New York Times, mobs beat people to death for crimes as small as stealing shoes, the authorities recently attempted to enact the death penalty for homosexuals. Only the threat of reduced foreign aid by... Read more

Ill-informed letter on GP unit doctors was unjust

07 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, As a practicing GP and active GP unit doctor, I was interested to read an anonymous open letter to the Minister for Health and Children and the CEO of the HSE on the role of GP unit doctors... Read more

Cannabis research is valid

07 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, In response to the debate on whether cannabis can cause psychosis, the recent article by Di Forte et al in the British Journal of Psychiatry established that individuals with a first episode of psychosis were no more likely... Read more

Mullingar medics dismayed at local hospital downgrading

06 January 2010 | Letters

Dear Editor, We, the undersigned healthcare providers in the community, on behalf of ourselves and most importantly our patients, wish to express our concerns and dismay regarding the apparent downgrading of our local hospital in Mullingar, the Lonford/Westmeath Regional Hospital... Read more

Domiciliary midwife loses High Court challenge

Ed Madden, BL | 06 January 2010 | Guests

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which a domiciliary midwife alleged objective bias in the composition of a Fitness to Practise Inquiry of An Bord Altranais... Read more

Putting children’s health first

Dr Patrick Smyth | 06 January 2010 | Guests

Dr Patrick Smyth, SHO in Emergency Medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, asks whether the decision on the new national paediatric hospital is a fait accompli or should it be revisited... Read more

Acting as an expert witness in court

Ciara Dalton | 06 January 2010 | Guests

Ciara Dalton of Beauchamps Solicitors gives a practical guide for doctors asked to act as an expert witness, and outlines the principle duties that the Court will expect of them... Read more

'And so to bed...'

Prof Pierce Grace | 06 January 2010 | Guests

January 2010 being the 350th anniversary of Samuel Pepys’s commencement of his famous diary, University of Limerick’s Prof Pierce Grace examines some of the book’s many medical references... Read more

Europe begins to embrace concept of health literacy

06 January 2010 | Guests

Ireland moves to improve patients' understanding of health information... Read more

Patients empowered through literacy

Niamh Mullen | 06 January 2010 | Guests

Niamh Mullen reports on a new Irish website dedicated to promoting health literacy among patients... Read more

New textbook on medicine in old age

06 January 2010 | Guests

Doctors working in the area of care of the elderly gathered in Limerick recently for the launch of Medicine in Old Age: A Clinical Approach... Read more