Sir, – I note that junior doctors are balloting to decide on industrial action due to long working hours (Home News, August 9th). I recall having a conversation about this with a young Egyptian doctor when I was a patient in Bantry Hospital in the mid-1970s. He was on continuous duty for about 80 hours over a weekend. I remember he started the weekend on Friday morning clean-shaven, but by the end of his 80-hour shift on the Monday evening he had grown a considerable beard. In fact I was quite envious of his luxuriant growth.
I asked him about his duties and he told me that he was expected to perform faultlessly for the entire 80 hours. This didn’t make any sense to me at the time and it still doesn’t make sense. Surely doctors should have their hours closely monitored in a similar way to pilots, truck drivers and other people who need to be alert while on duty? – Yours, etc,
SEAN O’SULLIVAN,
Crossabeg, Co Wexford.