IRISH DOCTORS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 124, 21 November 1925, Page 16

IRISH DOCTORS

MUST BE NATIVES' OF TH±J .FREE ••■■ "■ ' : -STATE. .. '_, , v:. '-' '■ )•-. ~" ■ '■ ' * '."; ' ' "'- ■ ■A.spirit Of ultra-patriotism has inspired the Irish Free State Cabinet to ordain that .doctors 6n: the British register shall not practise in Ireland, andthat a.special. Freo State register shall be .inaugurated (states the London. , correspondent of. the Melbourne "Argus'")- The decision' does' not affect Englishmen at "present in -practice, but -in-future 'onlydocfcors -who have been traiiied in Ireland -will be eligible, for work there". Unfortunately, .the majority of doctors trained in Ireland?practise in"Great" Bri- / tain, and rely upon formal admission to the British register. It would, however,"be absurd to'ask the 'British Medical admit ;doetprs; witk- Irish to^the -Bnglish register iinlels Ireland "is willing to offer similar privileges to Englishtrained doctors^ Moreover, .Frpe State doctors'will be;icat;oft;froin^Ber^ viceS'in the-British "Army^ Navy, arid other .Imperial service's. . If "this' policy'beconies ail a'ctuality 1, the.,mediv cal profession in the Free State will become ah isolated body of 1500 underpaid and inefficient practitioners. The action, of/.the Fj,oe:'State Government is due to a desire to deprive its Republican foes of a political catchcry, the pretence being that the authority of the British Medical Council in Ireland is incompatible with- the constitutional '--status "of theT "Free State. If the Free State is willing to treat tho British doctors fairly, .. there should bo no difficulty, as the' Free, State... dQctqjft, ,c«i.,i>M>c.uxe, -ihe, .-rights ••ejctcnded-to"-Anstralian' and: other Dominion doctors under the Medical Act of 1886. If the Priyjr, , Council so decides, a Dominion "doctor can bo_. admitted,, $ the jJKftfclC register on-piymenfe'-of a fee^of-^Sj-without farther examination. Presumably a way out of the difficulty will bo found a», at.present, only-14 per cent, of the doctors trained in the Irish Busdicaf schools practise-in Ire*. ; kind; ana 86 per cent. find billets in 'JJitaiiu. .„ -. ■- ■■ ■ - •■-:'•■- -*