A bid to oust the sitting president of the Medical Council, Dr John Hillery, from his position failed yesterday when members of the regulatory body for the medical profession voted by a slim majority in internal midterm elections to keep him in office.
Dr Hillery defeated the council's sitting vice-president and former president of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association, Dr Colm Quigley, by 13 votes to 12.
A third candidate who was in the running, Dr Conor O'Keane, a pathologist at Dublin's Mater hospital, withdrew from the race before the vote was taken and asked those who would otherwise have supported him to vote for Dr Quigley.
Last night Dr Hillery said he was very pleased to be returned as president for the second half of this council's five year term.
The main priority for the council now, he said, had to be getting a workable Medical Practitioners Act from the current draft Bill. Key issues would be the independence of the council, resources for its competence assurance activities and ensuring it retained a medical majority.
Dr Quigley, who was elected to stay on as vice-president of the council defeating Dr Asam Ishtiaq for the position by 18 votes to seven, was not commenting last night.
Elections were also held for a number of other key positions, including the chair of the council's ethics committee. Dr Deirdre Madden, a law lecturer at UCC and the author of the final organs inquiry report, was elected as chairwoman of this committee, defeating the sitting chair of the committee Dr Hugh Bredin.
This is not the first time that a lay person has taken the chair of the council's ethics committee. During the life of the last council Senator Geraldine Feeney held the chair.
There was no competition for the chair of the council's fitness to practise committee and Dr Brendan Healy retains this position. But in the election for the chair of the council's education and training committee Prof Anthony Cunningham defeated Prof Muiris Fitzgerald for the post.
Prof Brian Keogh will continue as chairman of the finance and governance committee. Dr Ailis Ní Riain was the only nominee for the position of chairwoman of the registration committee and was deemed elected. Dr Declan Sugrue will continue as chairman of the health committee. Margo Topham was the only nominee for chairwoman of the monitoring group and was deemed elected, and Dr Michael Hurley was unopposed and will continue as chairman of the medical ionising radiation committee. Dr Quigley was also elected chairman of the council's competence assurance advisory committee.