Madam, - I must express my complete dismay at the dangerous situation Peamount Hospital has arrived at, culminating in two senior doctors having to resort to the courts to ensure the safety of their patients, staff and hospital by obtaining an injunction to stop the board of management from removing them.
The current crisis at Peamount Hospital and the risk to its patients were precipitated by a decision of the hospital board to dismiss its medical director and its threat to dismiss the senior medical officer at the hospital as and from March 22nd.
Since the announcement of this new strategy, numerous general practitioners including myself have expressed our abhorrence of and objection to the decisions of the board of management not to pursue the chest option as developed by the management team.
The hospital board has quoted many reasons, which include Comhairle na nOspidéal and risks to patients following this report.
I now ask you, what greater risk could there be to the patients than having no senior medical staff?
If I did not know better I would have presumed this was a "Carry On" film.
As a local general practitioner practising in the locality for almost 30 years I feel I am entitled to air my views on this situation.
The post of medical director is unique in that it encompasses the responsibilities, privileges and duties of a consultant together with administrative strategic and planning roles.
It exceeds the role of a consultant in our current health service.
Prof Clancy has been attached to the hospital for at least 25 years and has directed many changes in the hospital over the years and to hear on the national air waves that his position had been degraded was deplorable.
In Peamount Hospital's "Memorandum and Articles of Association", two members of the management team are said to be essential to the hospital: a medical director and a secretary manager.
This is very interesting but the new management structure fails to recognise the position of medical director.
The current director of nursing was appointed last December and will be vacating this position shortly. One must ask, if such a senior staff member is leaving the ship is it really sinking?
The current board of management of the hospital have the country to answer to if tuberculosis becomes an epidemic in Ireland as a result of their ignorance and complete lack of insight and respect for the medical opinion, which has been conveyed to them so often.
The distress to the local community that this decision has caused is immeasurable and one wonders for what purpose. - Yours etc.,
Dr. D. GRAHAM, Peamount Road, Newcastle, Co Dublin.