Claims by the South Eastern Health Board that it was given a certificate by the Irish Medical Council in April 2000 confirming that a psychiatrist suspended in Britain was registered to practise in Ireland were "not true", the Medical Council said last night.
Its president Prof Gerard Bury said the health board's claims were "bizarre". He said the first time the SEHB contacted the Medical Council in relation to the doctor was in January 2001. He said the SEHB had at some stage been given an unsigned and therefore invalid certificate of registration for the doctor, dated April 2000, but it was not issued to the board by the Medical Council.
Prof Bury said the first time it became aware that Dr John Harding Price was working in the State was in July 2000 when the doctor contacted the council.
Dr Harding Price worked in St Luke's psychiatric hospital, Clonmel and St Canice's psychiatric hospital, Kilkenny, between April and November 2000. The council, he said, having been informed by the British Medical Council in April 2000 that the doctor was suspended from practising there for "inappropriate behaviour", took immediate action once it received information in July that he was working here.
It applied to the High Court for a section 51 order to suspend him from the medical register pending an investigation by the council's Fitness to Practise Committee. The court refused the order.
"At that stage we were left with a situation where the Medical Council was concerned about the information available to it, believed the doctor might be in practise in this country but had been turned down by the High Court for an order which it believed was necessary," he said.
The council therefore appealed the order to the Supreme Court. While awaiting a date for the appeal, the council was notified in January 2001 that Dr Harding Price had been erased from the British register of doctors. The doctor failed in his appeal to overturn this decision last week.
The council returned to the High Court with this information and a section 51 order was granted on January 29th, 2001, pending a Medical Council inquiry. The witnesses needed for the Medical Council to pursue its inquiry would however not travel from Britain to give evidence and the High Court lifted the section 51 order in August 2001.
Prof Bury said the council's Fitness to Practise Committee would now begin an inquiry on or before January 23rd next year using the transcript of evidence given to the British Medical Council inquiry.
In the meantime, he confirmed the High Court again granted it a section 51 order yesterday pending the outcome of its inquiry.
He reiterated that the council "fully and comprehensively fulfilled its mandate and its responsibilities in relation to this doctor in the protection of the public". He said he was issuing his statement to reassure the public of this.
"Our problem is that this issue has gained a life of its own which is now damaging the public image of the Medical Council. The message has been given unfairly that the Medical Council is not capable of fulfilling its mandate to protect the public. That is a highly inaccurate and damaging message.
He acknowledged however that lessons had to be learned. The council will meet the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, to brief him on the situation this morning.
There was nobody available to comment on behalf of the SEHB last night.
The British hearing which led to Dr Harding Price's suspension heard of complaints by three patients. One alleged that while attending the doctor in 1998, he removed her bra and kept her undressed throughout the consultation. Another alleged the doctor asked her detailed and intimate questions about her sexual and financial life.