The role of the Masters of Dublin's three main maternity hospitals in the forthcoming citizenship referendum was not discussed in detail at yesterday's meeting of the Medical Council.
Dr Assam Ishtiaq, a newly elected council member, had indicated that he wished to see Dr Declan Keane of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Michael Geary of the Rotunda and Dr Sean Daly of the Coombe called before the council to explain their role. The matter will now be discussed in full in July.
Dr John Hillery, who was presiding over his first council meeting as president, said the issue was discussed briefly at the end of yesterday's meeting.
"We agreed that it was not a fitness to practise issue for the doctors concerned. In addition, the council agreed that it did not afford due process to anyone if issues such as this were dealt with via the media."
Asked whether Dr Ishtiaq was censured for speaking to The Irish Times and appearing on RTÉ's The Pat Kenny Show in advance of yesterday's council meeting, Dr Hillery said: "No, he was not censured for the way he dealt with it."
Confirming that he had spoken to Dr Sean Daly in advance of yesterday's meeting, Dr Hillery said he had reassured him that the Medical Council "did not deal with the profession through the media. We look at serious issues on behalf of the public".
Earlier in the meeting, the council had agreed a plan of how to conduct meetings and how to relate to the media. "I reminded members that their first duty was to patients and so they must be careful how they deal with the media," Dr Hillery said.
The Irish Times understands that while members of the new council were encouraged to speak with the media, it was agreed that Dr Hillery would liaise with journalists. It was also decided to furnish the media with a full agenda in advance of each Medical Council meeting.
Dr Hillery confirmed that Dr Ishtiaq's concerns would be discussed in full at the July meeting.
Dr Ishtiaq had raised concerns about possible breaches of patient confidentiality and how statistics on the number of non- nationals giving birth here were gathered by the maternity hospitals.