Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 March 2024
212. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health how many doctors are being investigated by the Irish Medical Council or any other body under the responsibility of his Department; and his plans to investigate the 82% of Irish healthcare workers who have declined a Covid vaccine or a Covid booster since last September. [11004/24]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Medical Council is the independent statutory body which regulates medical practitioners in Ireland and one of the Council’s functions is to investigate complaints against registered medical practitioners. In 2023 the Medical Council received 353 complaints relating to 391 doctors across a range of complaint categories. A total of 61 complaints were referred for a Fitness to Practise Inquiry in 2023 and 49 inquiries concluded during the year.
Each complaint received by the Council is unique and investigated as such based on the facts and evidence available. The length of an investigation varies and is dependent on a number of factors such as the complexity of the complaint, availability of relevant documents, number of patients and/or doctors involved, requirement for expert reports and availability of such experts.
In relation to the Deputy’s query regarding vaccination, it is important to note that vaccination is not mandatory for healthcare workers in Ireland. Risk assessment processes were in place previously in respect of unvaccinated staff working in the public health service who were required to engage with vulnerable or high-risk patients. Vaccination offers an extra level of protection for all of us, particularly those who are vulnerable and I would encourage all of those working in the health services to take up vaccinations, where available.
