Liam Doran is on the couch this week
Occupation: general secretary, Irish Nurses Organisation.
Personal/Family: Married with two children, Adam (11) and Aoife (8).
What figure from the world of health/medicine do you most admire?
In an international sense, I would mention Dr Christian Barnard who carried out the first human heart transplant as, at the time, it certainly pushed out the boundaries of healthcare. Within an Irish context, I would certainly admire Dr Noel Browne and his work to eradicate TB in Ireland in the mid to late 1950s.
What alternative career might you have chosen?
While I always enjoyed nursing, before I began working with the Irish Nurses Organisation, I would like to have been good enough at golf to turn professional.
Do you have a phobia and what is your greatest fear?
No, I have no phobia, but my greatest fear is that serious ill-health would confront my family. I think I could cope better if it were myself.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
I have been a patient, unfortunately, on many occasions and you will have to ask the nursing and other staff who took care of me to find out if I was a good one.
If you were appointed Minister for Health, what would your first priority be?
To negotiate the introduction of consultant grade staff who would work exclusively in the public health service over an extended working day. This would be closely followed by significant change and investment in community care services and structures.
What three books would you bring to a desert island?
The Guinness Book of Records, a book on space travel/exploration, and any good thriller.
Have you a fail-safe method of dealing with stress?
Playing golf with my son Adam for the sum of €2.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
Apart from most sport programmes, The West Wing.
If you did not live in Ireland, where would you choose to spend the rest of your life?
On the Algarve, in Portugal. The climate is a lot better but it's still close enough to Ireland to come back and watch Kilkenny regularly win All-Ireland hurling titles.
Summarise yourself in 12 words?
Better to ask my family and my work colleagues!
Do you use alternative medicine/therapies?
No.
Who or what makes you laugh?
My daughter Aoife explaining her life and times and the television programme Only Fools and Horses.
(Interview by Dr Muiris Houston)