A chara, - Two of your journalists have dealt with a most fundamental defect in Irish society over the past few days. Kathy Sheridan (The Irish Times, May 13th), writing of the haemophilia tribunal, describes only too accurately the relationship between patients and medical consultants when she writes: "They had trusted their doctors implicitly. To be sure, some walked in fear of consultants . . .and still talk of the `god-like manner' radiated by them. But they had to endure it; they were utterly dependent on them".
Medb Ruane, writing of the same tribunal (Opinion, May 12th), points to the fact that patients are denied the right to transparent investigation of clinical cases. Patients' right to a rigorous and fair complaints procedure is limited by law. This in effect removes most peoples' possibility of ever taking action against medical malpractice. Our ombudsman, Kevin Murphy, is disallowed by the inaction of the Minister for Finance, according to Ms Ruane, from investigating in this area, though in the UK the ombudsman is so allowed. All this against the fact that the Minister for Health introduced a so-called "Patients' Charter" some years ago.
I have no doubt that, despite the enormity and horror of the stories emanating from the haemophilia tribunal, even more sordid and catastrophic stories remain to be told by patients in general, of their treatment by unaccountable consultants through the decades. - Yours, etc.,
Anthony Jordan, Gilford Road, Dublin 4.