Madam, - The reported remarks of Prof Brendan Drumm of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children headlined "Turf War leaves child consultancy vacant for seven years" (The Irish Times, March 8th) cannot go unchallenged.
Prof Drumm has stated that a surgeon who retired seven years ago was the only paediatric urologist in the state. As I recall it the surgeon in fact was a paediatric surgeon who also did urology.
When he retired there were two other paediatric surgeons practising in Dublin in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, the Children's Hospital, Temple Street and the National Children's Hospital. In addition the Children's Hospital Temple Street had two consultant urological surgeons on staff.
If my memory serves me correctly there was a lot of discussion at that time and indeed subsequently with regard to the replacement of that surgeon. Agreement was reached between the three Dublin paediatric hospitals on an equal distribution of paediatric general surgical resources within Dublin. This agreement was accepted by the Minister for Health, Micheál Martin.
However, when the formal proposal to replace the retired surgeon went before Comhairle na nOspideal that body inserted amendments into the job structure that were unacceptable to both the Children's Hospital Temple Street and the National Children's Hospital in Tallaght as they would have resulted in a significant reduction in the provision of general surgical paediatric services to these hospitals. - Yours, etc.,
FRANK McMANUS, F.R.C.S.I., Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, The Children's Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin 1.