The battle for next year’s general election in Clare will be a family affair, as Fianna Fáil’s John Hillery looks set to contest the election against his future son-in-law, Independent Michael McNamara.

MENTAL Health Services Minister Kathleen Lynch is to visit “in the coming weeks” a psychiatric unit earmarked for closure by the HSE, amid mounting opposition from doctors.

Fianna Fáil's Niall Collins tops the poll with 9,361 votes in Limerick but has not reached the quota of 11,261 to be elected.

In the Mid-West constituencies of Limerick and Clare, the country-wide trend of a swing to Fine Gael is being duplicated.

STAFF at Ennis General Hospital are devastated for patients over the Health Service Executive’s plan to close the hospital’s high-dependency unit from next month.

THE HSE “alienated” a group of consultant psychiatrists by publicly announcing the closure of an acute psychiatric unit without warning the consultants of the decision.

THE mid-west Health Service Executive has been requested to suspend the proposed closure of a high-dependency unit at Ennis Hospital on March 1, along with other centralisation proposals, pending the completion of an independent review.

FINE GAEL councillor Joe Cooney last night confirmed that the party has approached him to run as a fourth candidate in the forthcoming general election.

THE son of former president Dr Patrick Hillery, Dr John Hillery, said yesterday he is willing to take a €100,000 hit in income if his hopes of being elected to the next Dáil are realised.

DR HILLERY was a private and even shy man despite the decades he spent in public life, mourners at his funeral mass heard.

Former President of Ireland, Dr Patrick Hillery, was today remembered as a humble and private man who achieved so much for his country.

Hundreds of mourners tonight paid their respects to former President Dr Patrick Hillery whose remains were removed to Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral for tomorrow’s state funeral.

Former President of Ireland Dr Patrick Hillery will be given a full state funeral on Wednesday, the Government announced today.

The former President and Government Minister, Dr Patrick Hillery, died today following a short illness.

Round-the-clock emergency response services are needed to help people at risk of suicide, it was claimed today.

By ruling against the medical council’s findings, Mr Justice Kelly has cast a harsh spotlight on their disciplinary practices, writes Conor Ryan.

IT WOULD be easy but hypocritical to cheer too loudly for Dr John Hillery, a former head of the Medical Council who has accused doctors of putting their own interests before those of their patients.

THE former head of the Irish Medical Council has called for more accountability by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to ensure the delivery of good patient care.

THE outgoing president of the Medical Council has claimed the plan to locate private hospitals on public hospital grounds will be open to abuse without proper regulation.

COMPLAINTS against doctors increased by about 12% last year, new figures from the Medical Council show.

THE proposed Medical Practitioners Bill has diluted the definition of professional misconduct to such an extent that activities which currently construe misconduct would not be covered under the new bill.

THE Medical Council has warned that the new Medical Practitioners Bill, published yesterday, could prevent it from acting in the public interest in the future.

DOCTORS from eastern Europe may have to sit an English language exam before being allowed to practice here.

Doctors have strongly criticised the current system of regulating the profession, saying it is failing them and their patients.

The Medical Council has today published details of its submission to the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney on her proposed new Medical Practitioners Bill.

HUGE changes in the way the medical profession will be policed in the future were unveiled yesterday by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney.

MEDICAL Council president Dr John Hillery has warned that any move by the health services to select everything on the basis of the lowest tender price could result in ‘yellow pack’ hospitals.

THE president of the Medical Council has warned that Ireland may become known for the quantity of its medical schools, rather than the standard of its doctors.

THE president of the Medical Council has warned that Ireland may become known for the quantity of its medical schools, rather than the standard of its doctors.

Doctors’ competence should be continually assessed by their peers to minimise risks to patients, one of the country’s chief health experts said today.

A DOCTOR accused of indecently assaulting more than 30 of his female patients has been warned that he continues to be prohibited from practicing medicine despite the ending of criminal proceedings against him.

An 80-year-old Co Cork GP, whose court case over allegations of sexually assaulting his patients has been dropped, will be examined by the Medical Council, it was confirmed today.

THE Medical Council has pledged to take whatever steps necessary to protect the public if it emerges a consultant under investigation by the Health Service Executive (HSE) poses a threat to patient safety.

REGULATION of doctors is “archaic, dysfunctional and legally confrontational”, the president of the Medical Council said yesterday.

THREE doctors named in the Neary report are to have their work practices reviewed by the Medical Council’s Fitness to Practice Committee.

MANY people caring for aged or sick relatives are not aware of the wide range of State benefits available, a conference heard at the weekend.

THE need for greater recognition of the family carer will be highlighted at a major conference, in Tralee, Co Kerry this weekend.

The President of the Irish Medical Council has said the tenuous position of foreign medics working here must be ended.

THE president of the Medical Council last night said doctors should be legally obliged to notify the council about incompetent or “aberrant” practices by colleagues.

The President of the Medical Council said tonight he was horrified by the findings of the report into the work of disgraced doctor Michael Neary.

NEW random checks on doctors by the Irish Medical Council (IMC) must be underpinned by legislation, the Patient Focus lobby group insisted yesterday.

Doctors have an ethical duty to report underperforming colleagues, it was announced today.