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Thank you for the article. As a doctor, I feel that the keypoint here is that while doctors should definitely be held accountable if unprofessional or incompetent, the current system involves a lot of trial by media before any of the facts come through. Complaints about doctors should be investigated in full (and in the current system that takes place with a lay-person majority, so it’s not just doctors judging doctors), but I think that the investigation should take place first, and only if wrongdoing is found should the information be released to the public. Otherwise a doctors career, reputation etc can be maligned all over the country on the basis of allegations and not facts. It’s also an interesting point the author makes regarding the need for the medical council to protect doctors as well as patients, as it must be somewhat difficult for one body to represent both sides of any issue fully and equally.
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REPLIES
I’m another doctor, and totally agree.
I’m Brian and so is my wife.
I completely agree. Yes people should be held accountable but doing it publicly before anything us confirmed is awful. I’m a primary teacher and our teaching council are talking about bringing in the same thing for us. Aren’t we the lucky ones?
You’re dealing with human lives here, not cars or houses and we should all know after the verdict is given who the Doctor is.
During this case Prof. McElwain made the point that when Dr. Hassan forced a catheter to be inserted into a woman who didn’t want it, it was akin to assault. If that had happened in any other job then that person would have been subject to the justice of the courts. That doesn’t happen with doctors. No one was held responsible for the scandal at Portlaoise or in any other hospital where incidents like that happen. Remember Neary in Dundalk. The fact is doctors are nearly untouchable. This guy Hassan is obviously a quack but the safeguards in place have meant he was able to work in three hospitals and nobody could do anything about it. Let’s not forget that it’s the safety of the patient that’s paramount. If doctors retreat into their ivory towers then the whole system will suffer. After all, “it’s not enough to be innocent, you have to be seen to be innocent”.
Doctors knew what they were getting into and get paid enough
The case that inspired the journalist to write this article was a frightening exposure of the incompetence that exists across all levels of our health system. The doctor in question was certainly not “dodging cameras”. He was brash enough to go on Lifeline even after being found guilty. By all means seek fairness, perhaps next we should hold on trials on live TV instead of allowing convicted criminals to cover their heads when heading off to jail. I would go one step further and publish their photographs for everyone to see. Has a convicted criminal got more right to anonimity than the public. Females getting into a taxi or similar situation with a vicious rapist who has ” served his debt to society”?
Colin, I totally agree, but also, when a doctor is found to be incompetent, or his credentials not up to scratch, it should not stop with his conviction, if that’s an appropriate term, those who hired him, who’s job it was to check his suitability should be made explain themselves , because to the lay man some of the clowns that have gotten in under the radar is amazing., are the radar operators ever sanctioned.
Fully agree. Accountability should be universal and include the system that allows unqualified and/or incompetent people to continue to practice. One thing that is contributing to such a system, of course, is the difficulty hospitals have filling the positions in the first place, which makes them more likely to accept whoever comes along. So while hirees need to be subjected to appropriate scrutiny, with accountability if this does not take place, it should also be acknowledged that the current state of affairs in our health system means hospitals are under a lot of pressure to fill in gaps in rotas, and perhaps something should be done about that too?
Incorrect and ill-informed.
I doubt most, if any, doctors would expect to be “untouchable” as some commenters have said. There just needs to be a fair system of enquiry that doesn’t put someone in the stockades before even deciding if the complaint/investigation is to be upheld.
(Please disregard my “incorrect and I’ll-informed comment, was meant to be in response to another poster)
Thank you! Finally a sensible person!
if he/she is cleared, we don’t need to know. if he/she is not and its serious enough, yea we all need to know.
i have to say..if i go into my local GP and spot ‘yer man’ that did not know his as* from his elbow..i will just run out the door, that ibex will rear his ugly head again somewhere i will bet, a pharmacist maybe? i will bet we have not heard the last of him.
whats the procedure for non eu doctors doing that entrance exam at the irish medical council? is it possible that they could get a pal to sit that exam? just curious, how do they verify the identity of the person sitting the exam. i think too much.