The role of the Masters of Dublin's three main maternity hospitals in relation to the forthcoming citizenship referendum is to be raised at today's meeting of the Medical Council.
Dr Asam Ishtiaq, who is also vice-president of the Irish Medical Organisation, told The Irish Times he would be raising the role of the Masters of the Rotunda, the Coombe and the National Maternity Hospital at today's monthly meeting of the council.
He said he would like Dr Declan Keane of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Michael Geary of the Rotunda and Dr Seán Daly of the Coombe to be called before the council to explain their role - "though that is a decision of the council" .
In particular, Dr Ishtiaq is concerned at the manner in which statistics on the nationality of mothers were gathered by the masters for submission to the Department of Justice, whether the masters had breached the confidentiality of non-national mothers and whether, in seeking tighter immigration controls, they were in breach of their duty of care.
The masters deny having explicitly sought tighter immigration controls.
Dr Ishtiaq, who is an orthopaedic surgeon at Waterford General Hospital, said if the masters were concerned about their hospitals' capacity to care for the number of non-nationals, they should have sought more funding from the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
"I want to know why they didn't raise their concerns with him. Why were the going to the Minister for Justice looking to keep non-national pregnant women out?" he asked.
An internal Department of Justice memo, dated August 2003, and released in April indicates the masters believed "something needs to be done to tighten up controls in the immigration area".
The masters say this was inferred by someone in the Department, but not stated by them.
Dr Geary said the masters were clearly in contact with the Department of Health and to suggest they were playing politics "was utter nonsense".
"Politics is for the politicians. There is no apartheid in medicine but women arriving late in pregnancy or even in labour is dangerous. One of the jobs of a master of a maternity hospital is to furnish facts."
Dr Ishtiaq also raises concerns about possible breaches of patient confidentiality.
He cited Dr Keane's passing, in 2003, to the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, of a letter from a Ukrainian man to the National Maternity Hospital.
The letter, from a man seeking advice about maternity services for his 17-weeks pregnant wife,was published in a national newspaper last week.
He also questions how statistics on the number of non-nationals giving birth here were gathered, the motive for gathering them and whether there are issues of consent.
"There is certainly an issue there," said Dr Ishtiaq.
"Whatever figures are being produced and however the research was done, was it with the approval of the ethics committees of the hospitals? Was it sensitive to the patients' consent? What were the motives for the research?
"Were they medical or political motives?" asked Dr Ishtiaq.
He said he believed the masters needed "to reflect on how they have behaved".
"They have started something inflammatory with long-term repercussions. I am not saying they have definitely behaved unethically, but there are certainly questions to be answered and more to be asked."
He further said he was "confident" his views reflected those of the majority of the 2,000 non-national doctors in the State.
Dr John Hillery, president of the Medical Council, said time would be made to discuss Dr Ishtiaq's concerns today.
"If there is not enough time the issue will be put on the agenda for next month." He said he would be interested to hear Dr Ishtiaq's concerns.
Dr Daly of the Coombe said the three masters had "never" sought tighter immigration controls. He also said that as a master of a maternity hospital, he was a "CEO first and doctor second for the duration of the mastership". The bulk of their responsibilities were as hospital managers.
