HISTORY WILL be made tomorrow when the Medical Council holds its first fitness to practise inquiry in public.
The change was provided for under the 2007 Medical Practitioners’ Act but only applies to complaints made to the council since July last year.
The council issued a notice to all media yesterday stating that “a fitness to practise inquiry concerning a registered medical practitioner” will commence in public tomorrow at 10am.
However, even though the inquiry is to be in public, it refused to name the doctor who is the subject of the inquiry or the nature of the complaint or complaints which had been lodged against the medic.
All it would say was that people wishing to attend the public inquiry should report to the Medical Council reception in Canal House, Dublin 6, from 9am tomorrow.
“Due to limited space places will be allocated to members of the public on a first come first serve basis,” it added.
Sheila O’Connor of Patient Focus, which has had many dealings with the Medical Council over the years, particularly in relation to the now struck-off former Drogheda obstetrician Michael Neary, said she was pleased that a medical council inquiry was at last going to take place in public.
“I definitely welcome it. It’s definitely progress,” she said.
However, she noted there was going to be very restricted access to the inquiry as access would be on a first come basis.
She also said it was “ludicrous” that the council wouldn’t say who the inquiry was into or what it was about.
Even the High Court lists cases in advance by initials if necessary, she said. “The public would want to know what it’s about before deciding to attend and they would want to know there is room for them to get in,” she said.
It appeared to be the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law that the Medical Council was following, which was a shame, she added.
Under section 8 of the new Medical Practitioners Act, fitness to practise committee inquiries will be in public except where the doctor complained of or a witness who will be required to give evidence or about whom personal matters may be disclosed requests the committee to hold all or part of the hearing in private and the committee is satisfied that a private hearing is appropriate.