Medical Council concern over EU doctor competency testing

CONCERN has been expressed by the president of the Medical Council that the regulatory body cannot test the competence of doctors coming from other EU countries to work in Ireland.

Council president Professor Kieran Murphy was speaking after an inquiry found that a junior doctor from Romania, who could not take a patient’s pulse while working at Letterkenny General Hospital, Co Donegal, was guilty of poor professional performance.

Prof Murphy said there was concern about the doctor’s regulatory body being precluded from testing the competence of doctors qualifying in another EU country.