The diagnosis and treatment of human disease must remain the responsibility of medical doctors, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland told the annual meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation yesterday.
Prof Niall O'Higgins, professor of surgery at University College Dublin and consultant surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital, said the reason for maintaining the status quo was that the medical profession had "instigated and developed new systems of diagnosis and treatment and demonstrated remarkable ability for innovation and reform".
Referring to the issue of self-regulation by the profession, he said one of the obligations that accompanied self-monitoring was that doctors must consistently place the interests of individual patients and society above their own.
The president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), Dr J Edward Hill, told the meeting of his concerns about the inappropriate practice of medicine and surgery by non-physicians.
He acknowledged the benefits of working with allied health professionals in his rural practice in the Mississippi Delta.
"Today, members of the team in a rural family practice might include, in addition to doctors and nurse-midwives, a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, nutritionist, pharmacist and social worker," he said.
Emphasising the role of teamwork, he said that, while some allied health professionals sought a more autonomous role, the view of the AMA was that "physicians are the leaders of the healthcare team".
Dr Hill said he was concerned that, as a result of legislation in certain US states, optometrists could legally perform laser eye surgery and podiatrists had been authorised to carry out foot amputations.