Irish Medical Council President Calls Fee-for-Service Proposal an «Infringement on Rights»

Outgoing Irish Medical Council president Suzanne Crowe stated that a proposal to fund graduate medicine students' college fees in exchange for fixed service to the HSE could be an «infringement on people’s rights». The Department of Higher Education floated this idea to incentivize newly qualified doctors, who are increasingly emigrating to Australia and New Zealand, to remain in Ireland.

Crowe, whose eight-year tenure on the council board ended last week, questioned the fairness and practicality of such a scheme, noting that other essential professions like speech therapists, psychologists, physios, nurses, electricians, and plumbers also face emigration. She believes unions would resist it due to perceived unfairness if applied only to doctors.

During her presidency, Crowe observed a significant increase in serious conduct-related complaints against doctors, including sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and criminal convictions, an international trend. She also noted a rise in complaints about harassment, stalking, and inappropriate communication, attributing this partly to a potential loosening of conduct standards and a public less willing to tolerate rudeness or dismissal.

Crowe, a paediatric doctor, highlighted the siloed operation of State bodies and personally advocated for a single healthcare regulator to prevent patients from «falling through the cracks» and to regulate currently unregulated roles like healthcare assistants and physician associates. She also expressed concern that doctors are increasingly hesitant to take on challenging cases due to litigation risks. The State Claims Agency paid almost €320 million for medical negligence claims last year, with an additional €105 million in the first four months of this year. She fears this could stifle innovation and necessitate sending complex cases abroad.

Crowe will return full-time to Crumlin children’s hospital in July. She advocates for more flexible working options, specialty training structures, and removing barriers to studying medicine, while acknowledging the consistent commitment of healthcare staff, even post-Covid-19.