THE Royal College of Surgeons has confirmed the suspension of a senior consultant, Prof John Fielding, from his academic duties. Prof Fielding, who is chairman of the college's department of medicine based in Beaumont Hospital was suspended on April 4th because of allegations made against a colleague.
After an initial inquiry the college suspended the professor "pending further consideration" of the issue. Prof Fielding is consultant gastroenterologist at Beaumont Hospital and was the founding president of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (ICHA) in 1988. He is in Rome at present and was unavailable for comment yesterday.
He is also being sued over separate allegations made against the same colleague. No date has been set for hearing the case but a motion by the plaintiff for judgment is set for next Monday in the High Court. The proceedings were first mentioned in the court last November 20th, when a motion for judgment in the case was struck out. The case was mentioned again on December 11th and has been adjourned each week since then.
Beaumont Hospital conducted its own inquiry into Prof Fielding's allegations and cleared his colleague of any misconduct. As a result the hospital asked the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, to hold a ministerial inquiry into the matter. Mr Noonan is unlikely to make any decision before the conclusion of the High Court case.
Beaumont Hospital declined to comment yesterday.