Posts by Paul Mulholland

The Vice-President of the IHCA Dr Laura Durcan has said she has been extremely “heartened” by the reaction to staff to the Covid-19 crisis, hailing their reaction as “phenomenal”. Dr Durcan, who works as a Consultant Rheumatologist in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, told the Medical Independent healthcare staff who are working at the frontline of the…

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) will not be accepting blood donations from frontline health care workers who work with Covid-19 patients over the next three months, this newspaper has learned. The deferral comes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.   “If the donor is a front-line health care worker (HCW) who comes into direct…

Uncertainty around clinical placement, teaching, timetables, examination formats, and graduations have caused anxiety among medical students with Covid-19 are causing massive disruption to the traditional academic schedule, according to Mr Dónal Flynn, President of the Association of Medical Students, Ireland. However, Mr Flynn stressed that there has been “an overarching sense of camaraderie, mutual support,…

The Chair of the IMO NCHD committee Dr Paddy Hillery has urged the Government to examine accommodation arrangements for healthcare staff returning to assist in the Covid-19 emergency. “Accommodation in general in this country is hard to come by and for people coming back in a current emergency, it is going to be hard for…

The HSE has agreed to extend the date by which accumulated historic ‘rest days’ must be taken until 31 December 2021. The decision was taken following representation by the IMO on the issue. “This decision comes in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, and the previous deadline of 31 December 2020,” a spokesperson for the IMO…

Transplant services in Ireland, and other countries, are in peril due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish Government’s action plan on Covid-19 commits to ensuring ongoing services for vital specialties including organ transplant. However, on 24 March, the HSE confirmed to the Medical Independent (MI) that renal transplants at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, had been “paused”. This…

The Irish Heart Foundation has today (26 March) expressed its concern that people experiencing symptoms of heart disease and stroke are not presenting at hospital due to concerns about the coronavirus and not wanting to burden the healthcare system.  “Since the beginning of this outbreak we have been in constant communication with healthcare professionals in…

The ICGP has today announced its decision to postpone its forthcoming annual conference and AGM in light of the evolving Covid-19 situation.  The conference was due to be held in the Convention Centre, Dublin, on 8-9 May. The meeting is one of the College’s key educational events and attended each year by a large number of GPs from…

A total of 121 doctors have re-joined the Register of Medical Practitioners with the Medical Council in little over a week. This is in addition to doctors who are returning to practice or returning home to Ireland who remained on the Medical Council Register. Last week the Medical Council launched a dedicated pathway for doctors…