Public health doctors set up 'long overdue' platform to promote their work

Dr Ger McDarby, a Galway-based public health specialist, said it is 'high time' public health doctors had more of a voice. File Picture.

Public health doctors have set up their own society to promote their work.

The Irish Society of Specialists in Public Health Medicine will act as what its founders say is a “long overdue” advocacy platform.

“We don’t believe the whole area of public health is being taken seriously enough," said Ger McDarby, a Galway-based public health specialist who works part time for the HSE and part time for the World Health Organization.

“It’s high time public health specialists had more of a voice than they do at present.”

The society's formation comes against a background of falling morale among the country’s 60 or so full- and part-time specialists in public health medicine (SPHMs).

Dr McDarby is part of a mostly female cohort of health workers who called off a planned strike over contracts in January.

They are 18 years into a fight to be recognised as consultants, negotiations for which resumed last week.

Most of the country's SPHMs have felt sidelined, over-worked with limited extra resources and under-represented during the pandemic.

They feel almost all of the public commentary during the pandemic so far has not only been from centralised press briefings in Dublin but mostly male-dominated committees.

“As a woman, it is hard to know if you are being disregarded because you're a woman or for another reason," said Dr McDarby.

I do believe public health is the Cinderella specialty of the health service.

“I don't know if it is inherently because we are a female organisation or because we are in public health, and public health is considered second-class in terms of doctors in Ireland."

The society has about 30 members so far since it launched late last month.

It has a potential membership of around 100, comprising full- and part-time public health specialists, retired specialists and academics, and trainee SPHMs.

“What we are looking to do is advocate on public health issues and to educate both the public and politicians on the public health approach,” said Dr McDarby.

“This is so we can advocate on the 21st-century challenges like anti-microbial resistance, emerging viral threats like Covid-19, and obesity.

“There are some of the huge public health challenges in our time.

“We just previously haven't had a platform where we could get our message out and that is what we are focusing on.

“It's interesting that chronic underfunding in public health is part of a global discourse and yet nationally, in Ireland, we are finding it hard to get our voices heard.”