THE Irish Medical Organisation will discuss the merits of holding misconduct inquiries in public and may refer its decision to the Inch Medical Council.
IMO president Dr Hugh Bredin said last night: "If we feel it will disadvantage our members we certainly will put this to the Medical Council.
The council met over the weekend. The chairwoman of the Fitness to Practise Committee, Dr Patricia Casey, reportedly defended the decision to hold a public inquiry into allegations against a doctor investigating child sexual abuse. Dr Moira Woods denies the allegations.
Dr Bredin was concerned at the decision to hold the inquiry in public. "A doctor may be wrongly accused of something and the actual publicity generated as a result of the hearing could damage the doctor.
But doctors considered the council to be a good body for dealing with complaints, he said. "We would like to protect our Medical Council."
Dr Bredin will meet the IMO's chief industrial relations officer, Mr Conal Devine, this morning to discuss other issues and he will raise the question of public inquiries.