Inquiry to follow suspension of two consultant surgeons at hospital

THE Minister for Health is to set up an inquiry after two out of the three consultant surgeons at a midlands hospital were suspended without pay yesterday.

The move by the North Eastern Health Board has forced the cancellation of all elective surgery at Cavan General Hospital, which was already at full stretch after Monaghan General Hospital was taken off call for surgical emergencies last year.

The suspensions were announced as the health board confirmed it was also investigating complaints by patients against a consultant obstetrician at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.

That obstetrician has not been suspended and a health board spokeswoman said no decision would be taken on further action until external risk managers reported to management. But the two Cavan surgeons, Dr William Joyce and Dr Pawan Rajpal, will remain barred from work at the hospital until a full inquiry is held. The Department of Health said the inquiry would be set up as soon as possible.

Their suspensions stem from complaints the two men made about each other and it is understood no allegations by patients are involved, although the issue of patient safety is at the core of some of the grievances raised. Both men are expected to vigorously defend themselves and insist on reinstatement. Dr Joyce was suspended temporarily by the health board last year following an unrelated complaint of misconduct but was reinstated after initiating High Court proceedings against the board.

Dr Rajpal, a member of the Minister for Health’s manpower forum, said last night he could not comment as he had not yet received documentation from the health board detailing the complaints against him.

Sinn Féin health spokesman and local TD Caoimhghin Ó Caolàin welcomed the inquiry. He said the dispute had been long-running and a cause of concern to staff and patients alike.

But Independent TD Paudge Connolly, a hospital action candidate, was critical of health board management for letting the difficulties escalate to the point where suspensions were the only option. “This thing has been allowed to fester when it should have been nipped in the bud,” he said.

The health board said efforts would be made to find locum cover for the suspended surgeons but Mr Connolly said he feared Cavan’s surgical unit would be shut down.

“There aren’t spare consultant surgeons sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting on a call from the North Eastern Health Board. No matter what they do, services are going to suffer and that means patients will too,” he said.