THE decision by the Minister for Health to introduce compulsory hepatitis B screening for all new health service employees was "alarming", the Irish Medical Organisation said last night.
Mr Noonan made the announcement as hundreds of people made calls to the helplines set up for patients treated by the 31 year old HIV positive doctor who worked at Limerick Regional Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital this year.
A spokesman for the Minister also indicated last night that it was "more than likely" that medical staff applying for positions in hospitals and testing positive for hepatitis B would not be employed.
Last night the IMO called on the Minister to release the report of the Advisory Group on Infectious Diseases. "There has been no consultation with the medical profession about this hepatitis B testing," said a statement fro the organisation, adding that it was seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister to clarify the position on this "panic decision".
Yesterday the Mid Western Health Board and the NorthWestern Health Board sent letters out to 105 patients to inform and reassure them that the risk of contracting the HIV virus from the African born doctor was very slim. They also contacted the patients and their GPs by telephone to offer testing and counselling.
Mr Noonan, speaking in Limerick, said he had decided "on moving unilaterally because of events" and he could not "wait any longer to get a fuller solution".
The Department had wanted to take a broader approach to testing for infectious diseases, the Minister said, but because of "medical, legal and ethical issues" further detailed consideration and consultation were needed.
"All we can do is to put the best protocol possible in place, for, it is not possible to introduce regimes which will ensure that every foreign doctor in the country is tested. In doing that you are discriminating on racial grounds."
Dr Kevin Kelleher, director of public health at the Mid Western Health Board, said that they had received 300 telephone calls from persons expressing concern that they may have been put at risk of HIV at the hospital.
Dr Kelleher reiterated the legal restraints on the board in identifying the doctor concerned.
Dr Sean Denyer, his counterpart in the North Western Health Board, said it had received 400 calls and "most of those were pretty calm and appreciated the manner in which it had been handled".