From its inception, the HSE was doomed to failure. Replacing 14 regional health boards in a classic Bertie Ahern compromise whereby nobody lost a job in 1996, it became an unwieldy and overmanaged organisation not fit for purpose. To his…
Novus Medica
Medical news service from Penhire
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Doctor accused of professional misconduct
Dr Saleem Sharif, who runs his own practice in Ballyphehane, is accused by the patient, Barry Murphy, and other members of his family, of refusing to help to lift him and insisting on seeing the patient’s medical card while he…
Doctor’s orders to change HSE board fall far short of mark
But be warned: it will be many years down the road before any real progress is made in this grand plan and it will be 2016 before the promised universal healthcare insurance begins to be phased in. It will take…
Scientists unlock secret to beating deadly MRSA superbug
Lead scientist Dr Squire Booker, from Pennsylvania State University in the US, said: “What we’ve discovered here is so exciting because it represents a truly new chemical mechanism for methylation. We now have a very clear chemical picture of a very clever…
Crucial changes have yet to be made
There are various nettles Health Minister James Reilly could have grasped before yesterday’s move on the HSE board. They include: Opening closed hospital beds. There are hundreds of beds closed in hospitals around the country, while patients are still enduring days on…
Reilly to pack board of HSE with health service ‘insiders’
He is going to appoint senior civil servants and HSE officials to replace the 12-member HSE board, which unanimously accepted his call for their resignations yesterday. “If we’re going back to anything, it’s to ministerial responsibility. I am shortening that…
Reilly ‘plays PR game’ while vital surgery is cancelled
“I want to know what Minister Reilly is going to do for these children, asking the HSE board to step down is going to do nothing to help these kids and generate more beds or resources.” (Independent) >>>
Minister can’t say if children’s operating theatres back in use
Health Minister James Reilly was last night unable to say if the three main children’s hospitals had increased the use of operating theatres, one week after a damning report revealed how they were being mismanaged. The report, published last week, showed how…
GP hits out at shortage of medicines
A GP haS complained about the shortage of some medicines, including certain birth-control pills. Dr Bernard Ruane, a GP from Tralee in Co Kerry, told the agm of the Irish Medical Organisation yesterday that in the past few years he…
Posted in General practice, Medicines
Times editorial: Making the HSE effective
HIQA: “Given the seriousness of the risks highlighted as part of the Ennis investigation, it is of the utmost concern that the HSE’s corporate and clinical governance systems failed to disseminate effectively learning from an adverse finding by the statutory…
Paschal Carmody trial collapses
THE TRIAL of a former Clare GP who denies charges of deception and false pretences has collapsed after Judge Donagh McDonagh at Ennis Circuit Court deemed articles that appeared in two national publications presented a potential risk to the accused’s…
Posted in Doctors, Medicolegal
Change more of optics than anything else at HSE
THE DECISION by Minister for Health James Reilly to get rid of the Health Service Executive board by forcing its members’ resignation was no reflection on the abilities of those individuals, he said yesterday. But, in opposition, Reilly sharply criticised…
Visiting curtailed by hospital bug
The HSE is asking people not to visit the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, as a number of cases of the winter vomiting bug have been confirmed there. In particular, it said children should not visit. Infection-control procedures will remain in…
Posted in Hospitals/Clinics, Public health
Doctors call for buying sex to be made illegal
Public health specialist Dr Fenton Howell said Ruhama, the Dublin based group that works with women involved in prostitution, had called earlier this year for Ireland to adopt the Swedish model whereby men are prosecuted for buying sex and he…
Posted in Public health
Warning on high costs of universal health cover
THE INTRODUCTION of universal health insurance in the State could dramatically increase healthcare costs and result in patients having to wait days to see their family doctor, a conference was told yesterday. The annual meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation in…
Minister pledges more accountability in running of health service
Dr Reilly said he hoped a greater level of integration would help to reduce waiting times in emergency departments and would speed up treatment times for inpatients and outpatients. “Of course no Minister can micromanage the service or a hospital,…
Doctors the most trusted profession, survey reveals
The research carried out by Millward Brown Lansdowne on behalf of the Medical Council, which regulates the medical profession, also found only half the population trust clergymen or priests to tell the truth, but they are trusted more highly than…
Posted in Doctors, Perceptions
Hospital to offer newborn hearing screens
EVERY baby born at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) will be offered a hearing screening test before they are discharged. (Examiner) >>>
Liquidator to be appointed to private hospital
CREDITORS of a €90 million private hospital owed money since its closure five months ago have been advised that a liquidator will be appointed shortly. (Examiner) >>>
Former GP is no conman, counsel tells court
“This case is not some trial about PDT treatment, whether it works or it doesn’t. What this case is about is whether if in conjunction with other treatments it led Paschal Carmody to believe that this was a treatment worth…
Vaccination tracker to help parents with child immunisation needs
Now Irishhealth.com has developed a tool which keeps parents up to date with their child’s immunisation history and reminds them when the child needs to get a new dose. The tool is available at Irishhealth.com or can be downloaded at…
The plight of the forgotten hospitals
The new children’s hospital is far from the only major facility our health services are in need of, with some urgent projects slipping off the news agenda in the past few years. Thought to be the oldest forensic mental health…
Healthcare gadget takes the trouble out of check-ups
A NEW SYSTEM that would allow people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease to monitor their health from home would free up hospital beds, reduce health insurance costs and save the HSE millions of euro annually, according…
Questions still remain after baby inquiry
Last week’s report by the HSE into misdiagnosed miscarriages pinpoints major issues for the women involved who underwent surgery, writes JOANNE HUNT That four of the women should remain pregnant after such an invasive procedure is “surprising” though not unheard of…
Continuing education for doctors is crucial, writes Muiris Houston
NEXT WEEK marks the beginning of a new era in Irish medicine. From May 1st, doctors seeking to renew their professional registration will be legally required to complete an annual declaration that they have enrolled in, and are complying with…
3,000 medics out of work as HSE recruits from abroad
ALMOST 3,000 health professionals across a variety of disciplines are currently out of work, according to official figures. They form part of a larger group of more than 14,500 workers in health and related industries who are on the live…
HSE board member offers to step down
Solicitor Eugene McCague has written to Dr Reilly offering to step down. It is unclear whether his resignation has been accepted. Other board members include Pat Farrell, chief executive of the Irish Banking Federation; Joe Mooney, a retired senior official…
Primary care centre hailed as model for future
A STATE-OF-THE-ART primary care centre, due to be officially opened this week, is being hailed by health professionals as a future model for providing care outside hospital facilities. The Mallow Primary Healthcare Centre claims to offer the most comprehensive array…
Dr Gareth Quin on shortage of junior doctors
Madam, – A HSE spokesperson is reported as attributing the Irish non-consultant hospital doctor (NCHD) recruitment crisis to a worldwide shortage of doctors (Home News, April 18th). The notion that the HSE is a passive victim of global forces beyond…
