Health Minister Mary Harney has plans to introduce new legislation to regulate doctors, due to be published within the next week or so.
She is seeking Government approval in order to publish heads of bill for new legislation next week or the following week so that a new Medical Practitioners Bill can be published later this year.Although changes to the existing Medical Practitioners Act have been promised and postponed for many years, it is finally expected that new legislation will be enacted before the end of the year.
Provision for a lay majority on the Medical Council is predicted in the new law to end self-regulation by the medical profession in its current form.
Compulsory monitoring processes and competence assessments for doctors are expected to be included in the new legislation.
