Motions 1-13

Marathon Men

1. The IMO congratulates all our former Presidents on their marathon runs.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry : Seconder: Dr Fenton Howell

Status - Carried

Developing World

2. The IMO commends the Department of Foreign Affairs and, in particular Irish Aid, for the high quality work they do in the developing world and urges the Government to continue to fund Irish Aid and the Global Fund at current levels.

Proposer: Dr Eimhim Ansbro: Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status : Carried

3. The IMO calls on the Department of Health and the  Department of Foreign Affairs to lead the way in making the urgent issue of unsustainable consumption and population growth in a world faced with rapidly declining natural resources, famine and global warming, a key priority to tackle in tandem with our international partners.

 Proposer: Dr Eimhin Ansbro : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Amended Motion

The IMO calls on the Department of Foreign Affairs to lead the way in making the urgent issue of unsustainable consumption and population growth in a world faced with rapidly declining natural resources, famine and global warming, a key priority to tackle in tandem with our international partners

Status : Amended Motion Carried

4. The IMO urges Irish Aid to support programmes which aim to make reliable, modern contraception available to the 200+ million women worldwide who desire it, in the context of promoting healthcare access, poverty alleviation, improvement in child survival and promotion of women’s education and rights.

Proposer: Dr Eimhin Ansbro : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status : Carried

Environmental

5. The IMO expresses support to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for commissioning its Review Report on Severe Weather Events and calls on the Minister to commit to implementing the recommendations of the Report.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier : Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

6. The IMO calls on the Department of Health and the HSE to set a target and fund hospitals and all health care buildings appropriately so that, by 2012, they have reduced energy consumption by 30% using available technologies (e.g. heat pumps, wind turbines, solar panels).

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Amended : The IMO calls on the Department of Health and the HSE to set a target and fund hospitals and all health care buildings appropriately so that, by 2017 they have reduced energy consumption by 30% and by using available sunstainable technologies ( e.g. heat pumps, wind turbines,solar panels)

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Protection of Medical Personnel

7. The IMO calls on the Irish Government to denounce known contraventions of the protection of medical personnel in times of civil or international conflict and support global health personnel in their obligation to treat and care for patients independently and regardless of their race, religion, political orientation or status within a community.

Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee

Amended: The IMO calls on the Irish Government to denounce known contraventions of the protection of medical personnel in times of civil or international conflict and support global health personnel in their obligation to treat and care for patients independently and regardless of their gender, race, religion, political orientation or status within a community.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

8.This meeting supports the action taken by the IMO in line with the WMA regarding the recent conflict in Bahrain and reinforces the protocols of the Geneva Convention.

Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee

Status : Carried

Medicines & Research

9. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that new medicines, which have competed satisfactory pharmaceutical and economic evaluation are immediately reimbursed on the State Drug Schemes.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Amended: The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that new medicines, which have completed satisfactory pharmaceutical and economic evaluation are immediately reimbursed on the State Drug Schemes.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

10. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to add a tariff onto all generic medicines dispensed in the country, such tariff to be ring fenced and support a medical research fund.

 Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status : Defeated

11.The IMO supports the findings of the HSE METR Report on Research Ethics Committees published in 2008 and calls on the Minister for Health to implement the recommendations, including streamlining and standardisation of ethical approval for research, as a priority.

 Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status : Carried

12. Due to the work involved in reporting adverse reactions this meeting calls for a contractual arrangement to be put in place with the manufacturers and/or distributors to deal with workload and responsibilities.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Fell

13.The IMO requests that the Irish Medicines Board reviews pharmaceutical advertising protocols to ensure that appropriate statistical terms are used (ARRs, NNTs, NNHs) and that all adverts  highlight study lengths, trial population and to accurately display drug cost, instead of reference to relative risk.

 Proposer: Dr Mark Murphy  : Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status : Carried

Motions 14- 54

Medical Organisations

14.The IMO supports the independence of other European and international medical organisations and physician self-governing bodies from the interference of Governments.

Proposer: International Affairs Committee

Status : Carried

Alcohol and Tobacco

15. The IMO calls upon health care employers to ban their employees from smoking in their uniforms or working clothes or in position of public view on hospital campuses and where such a ban exists already to strictly enforce it.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor ,  Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Carried

16. The IMO calls on HIQA to carry out health technology assessments on both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation products/services in order to properly inform smokers, health service managers, health professionals and politicians on the merits or otherwise of providing smoking cessation services to the smoking population.

Proposer: Dr Fenton Howell Seconder: Professor Joe Barry

Status : Carried

17. The IMO supports the initiative taken by ASH Ireland in calling for local authorities to ban smoking in children’s playgrounds and call on all local authorities to introduce bye-laws or whatever arrangements are necessary to ban smoking in such playgrounds.

Proposer: Dr Fenton Howell Seconder: Professor Joe Barry

Status : Carried

18. The IMO supports the Minister for Health in calling for a further €1 increase in a packet of 20 cigarettes at the next Budget and calls on the Minister for Finance to impose such an increase.

Proposer: Dr Fenton Howell Seconder: Professor Joe Barry

Status : Carried

19. The IMO calls on Retailers Against Smuggling to outline in detail the financial or other supports it receives from the tobacco industry to their representatives.

Proposer: Dr Fenton Howell Seconder: Professor Joe Barry

Status : Carried

20. The IMO congratulates the Government for launching the National Substance Misuse Strategy and urges that an implementation structure with defined accountability be put in place.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry Seconder: Dr Fenton Howell

Status : Carried

21. The IMO calls for the levy being demanded from the alcohol industry to be used to cover the cost of treating alcohol related harm.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry Seconder: Dr Fenton Howell

Status : Carried

22. The IMO urges the Government to make moves to harmonise alcohol policy in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry Seconded: Dr Fenton Howell

Status : Carried

23. The IMO calls on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and its agents to get involved at all levels of the National Drugs Strategy.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry Seconder: Dr Fenton Howell

Status : Carried

Prison Service

24. The IMO calls on the Minister for Justice to publish a 5 year plan to reduce the prison population by 20%.

Proposer: Professor Joe Barry Seconder: Dr Fenton Howell

Status : Carried

Road Safety

25. The IMO calls on the Government to enact legislation to ensure that all drivers, whether conscious or unconscious are tested for alcohol following a road crash where there is an injured person.

Proposer: Dr Fenton Howell Seconder: Professor Joe Barry

Amendment: The IMO calls on the Government to enact legislation to ensure that all drivers, whether conscious or unconscious are tested for alcohol and other drugs following a road crash where there is an injured person.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Medical Schools

26. The IMO condemns the actions of Governments that discriminate educational opportunities based on race, religion or sexual orientation and calls upon the Irish Medical Schools to end service level arrangements with foreign Governments that discriminate against students on this basis.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

Controlling Infections

27. The IMO calls upon the HSE to enforce infection control practices that do not further disadvantage patients carrying healthcare acquired infection

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

Child Health

28. This meeting calls on the HSE to ensure that the Neonatal Hearing Screening programme is rolled out across the country and that the necessary resources are made available.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Doctor Committee

Status : Carried

29. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to devise a national strategy for the elimination of Measles as a matter of urgency and to ensure that implementation plans are adequately resourced.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Doctor Committee

Status : Carried

Care of the Elderly

30. The IMO deplores the planned closure of 555 public nursing home beds without alternative services in place that cater adequately for elderly patients with higher medical need and/or higher dependency levels.

Proposer: IMO Council

Status : Carried

Chronic Disease

31. This meeting calls on the Department of Health to adopt the recommendations outlined in the World Medical Association’s Statement on the Global Burden of Chronic Disease and to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to addressing chronic disease prevention in Ireland.

Proposer: International Affairs Committee

Status : Carried

Obesity

32. This meeting calls on the HSE to put in place a comprehensive multidisciplinary programme to tackle childhood obesity.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Doctor Committee

Amendment: This meeting calls on the HSE to work with the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to put in place a comprehensive multidisciplinary programme to tackle childhood obesity.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

33. In light of the obesity epidemic, the IMO calls upon the Minister for Education to consider the introduction of leaving certificate points for participation in sports and physical exercise at school.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

34. The IMO calls upon the HSE to set standards around the nature of meals served to hospital in –patients and to specifically discontinue the practice of serving unhealthy fried food as evening meals.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

35. The IMO calls on the Government to ban Transfatty Acids from foods produced and sold in the Republic of Ireland.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Doctor Committee

Status : Carried

Acute Services

36. This meeting calls on the HSE to respond to the dangerous overcrowding of Emergency Departments and introduce a full capacity policy whereby patient requiring hospitalisation are admitted to additional ward beds in appropriate circumstances.

Proposer: Dr Peadar Gilligan Seconder: Dr Sean Wals

Status : Carried

GP Access to Services

37. The IMO calls on the HSE to introduce protocols to permit General Practitioners direct access to radiological and cardiac investigations.

Proposer: Dr Mark Murphy Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status : Carried

Second Level Education

38. The IMO calls on the Department of Education & Skills and the Department of Health & Children to ensure all second level students are educated in Basic Life Support.

Proposer: Dr Mark Murphy Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Amended : The IMO calls on the Department of Education & Skills and the Department of Health  to ensure all second level students are educated in Basic Life Support.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Non Irish Doctors

39. The IMO calls for the respectful treatment of non-Irish doctors working in the Irish health care system and their equal treatment in the workplace, particularly in regards to training placements and professional opportunities.

Proposer: International Affairs Committee

Status : Carried

Professional Competence Assurance

40. This meeting calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that the HSE meets its obligations under the Medical Practitioners Act with regard to facilitating and funding doctors in its employ to attend ongoing CPD events and maintain their professional competence as is required for the execution of their duties.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Doctor Committee

Status : Carried

Mental Health

41. The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health to take into account the negative impact on the mental health of the population when considering Government actions to address the current economic situation.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Status : Carried

42. Given the recent solid evidence in The Lancet linking a reduction in suicide rates to higher quality community mental health services, in particular the provision of 24 hour crisis facilities, the IMO calls on the HSE to pilot the development of community based 24 our crisis mental health provision throughout Ireland.

Proposer: Dr Larkin Feeney Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

43. In light of the rise in suicides, this meeting calls for the provision of Suicide Intervention Teams in all hospitals on a 24 hour / 7 days a week basis.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

44. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to devise protocols for consent for medical procedures performed on vulnerable adults with intellectual disabilities.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

45. The IMO draws concerned attention to the fact that Schizophrenia has a significantly increased mortality from natural and unnatural causes and calls on the Minister for Health to act responsibly to remedy the avoidable causes of this excess of morbidity and premature death.

Proposer: Dr Siobhan Barry Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status :Carried

46. The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health and the Minister with responsibility for Mental Health to provide adequate funding for a roll out of the Early Intervention in Psychosis Services on a national basis.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

47. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to apply the Smoking in the Workplace Ban to mental health facilities and thus also begin to address the additional physical health inequalities that adversely impact on those with serious mental illness.

Proposer: Dr Siobhan Barry Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status : Carried

48. The IMO calls on the HSE to provide the necessary evidence based therapies in inpatient mental health facilities that will be required to assist recovery and alleviate the boredom that is currently dissipated by enabling smoking.

Proposer: Dr Siobhan Barry Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status : Carried

49. The IMO calls upon the HSE to remove the embargo on recruitment to allow for adequate replacement of specialist staff in the mental health services that leave employment.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

50. The IMO calls upon the Government to extend the Health and Social Care Professionals Act to those providing Psychotherapeutic and Counselling services who are not already covered by other regulatory bodies.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

51. The IMO calls on the Mental Health Commission to carry out an urgent audit of the physical health monitoring facilities of mental health facilities given the potential for adverse health consequences of many psychotropic medications.

Proposer: Dr Siobhan Barry Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier

Status : Carried

52. The IMO call upon the Government to ensure that Mental Capacity legislation is placed as legislative priority.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

53. The IMO calls upon the Government to legislate for closer collaboration between the Mental Health Commission and the HSE on the provision of Mental Health Services, specifically in the area of the closing of services which do not receive accreditation.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

54. The IMO calls upon the Government to extend Section 185 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 to cover not just “hospitals” but all health care environments.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

 

Motions 55- 72

Mental Health

55. The IMO calls upon the Director of Public Prosecutions to publish the number of cases that have been prosecuted under Section 185 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier:  Seconder: Dr Siobhan Barry

Status : Carried

Community Ophthalmic Physicians

56. This meeting calls on the HSE to publish the Community Ophthalmic Review and immediately engage with the IMO on the implementation of the review recommendations.

Proposer: Dr Michelle Fenton Seconder: Dr Grace O’Malley

Status: Carried

HSE

57. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health and the HSE to publicly acknowledge the impossibility of delivering upon the 2012 Service Plan & Budget for the Acute Services.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

58. The IMO calls on the HSE to ensure that the full methodology of any analytical work contracted outside the Organisation be made available to Health Intelligence HSE or other section(s) as appropriate so that skills are transferred internally and he methodology is systematised where indicated.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Committee

Amendment: The IMO calls on the HSE to ensure that the full methodology of any analytical work contracted outside the Organisation be made available to Health Intelligence Unit of the HSE or other section(s) as appropriate so that skills are transferred internally and he methodology is systematised where indicated.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Communication Systems

59. The IMO calls on the HSE and HIQA, with advice from the Medical Council and other
professional regulatory bodies, to establish a secure, confidential and monitored email system which allows health professionals to communicate more effectively to provide better quality and more timely medical care for patients.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status : Carried

Recruitment of NCHDs

60. The IMO strongly opposes the ill-conceived mass recruitment strategy of the HSE in respect of non EU doctors in response to the workforce shortage in Ireland, and the subsequent unprofessional treatment of these doctors by the HSE and calls upon the HSE to implement recruitment practices that are ethical, sustainable and focus on retention.

Proposers: International Affairs Committee, Dr Anthony O’Connor, Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Carried

NCHDs

61. IMO Consultants support their NCHD colleagues in calling upon the Minister for Health and the HSE to fully implement the Working Time Act and the NCHD Contract in a manner that protects and nurtures the professional character of medical training and NCHDs.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

Universal Health

62. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to Publish the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance so that proper debate on the future of our health services can begin. Such paper to detail:

• The universally insured medical services that will be core services
• The arrangements to enable independence of hospitals
• The arrangements for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education and training
• The outline action plan for implementing the revised health system

Proposer: IMO Council, IMO Consultant Committee

Amendment: The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to Publish the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance so that proper debate on the future of our health services can begin. Such paper to detail:

• The universally insured medical services that will be core services
• The arrangements to enable independence of hospitals
• The financial impact on general practice in terms of premises, workload and workforce requirements.
• The arrangements for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education and training
• The outline action plan for implementing the revised health system

Status : Amended Motion Carried

63. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to guarantee that any proposed plans for universal health insurance will protect the Doctor-Patient relationship and clinical independence from interference by third parties, including insurance companies and that the plan will state clearly how it is intended to protect this relationship.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

New Grade

64. The IMO rejects the idea of an associate specialist hospital doctor grade until such time as consultant numbers are brought into line with EU averages.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Amendment: The IMO rejects the idea of an associate specialist hospital doctor grade. 

Status : Amended Motion Carried

65. The IMO condemns the idea of public patients being cared for autonomously by doctors of an associate specialist or sub consultant grade while private patients will continue to be cared for by consultants only.

Proposer: Dr Anthony O’Connor Seconder: Dr Michael Barrett

Status : Fell

66. The IMO opposes the establishment of the newly proposed associate specialist grade, and will use all measures at its disposal to prevent this from happening, while explaining to the medical profession and to the general public the disastrous consequences of this foolish proposal.

Proposer: Dr David J O’Gorman Seconder: Dr Phelim Donnelly

Amendment: The IMO opposes the establishment of the associate specialist grade, and will use all measures at its disposal to prevent this from happening, while explaining to the medical profession and to the general public the disastrous consequences of this foolish proposal.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Manpower & Capacity Planning

67. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to engage with the IMO in producing a framework for a Capacity Planning & Retention Programme for medical practitioners in the Health Services.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

68. The IMO deplores the loss of frontline staff in the health services and calls upon the Minister for Health to act to reverse the negative effects of this loss.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Status : Carried

69. The IMO demands that the decision to permit senor public servants to work for another six months after the 29th February retirement deadline, without financial penalty be extended to Doctors, Nurses and Midwives until suitably qualified replacements can be appointed.

Proposer: Dr David J O’Gorman:  Seconder: Dr Phelim Donnelly

Status : Carried

Budget Cuts

70. This meeting calls upon the Minister for Health to report, on a monthly basis, on the effects that budget cuts and the moratorium on recruitment are having on patient care.

Proposer: IMO Council

Status : Carried

71. The IMO opposes any cut to Obstetric Services as it will produce enormous financial cost as well as physical and emotional costs.

Proposer: Dr David J O’Gorman : Seconder: Dr Phelim Donnelly

Status : Carried

Competition in Healthcare

72. The IMO believes that competition in healthcare may not be in the best interests of patients or the State and calls upon the Minister for Health to examine the evidence on the effects of competition.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Status : Carried

 

Motions 73- 83

Medical Council

73. This AGM calls on the Medical Council to establish and maintain a register of retired doctors with separate and specific professional competence requirements.

Proposer: IMO Galway GP Branch

Status : Carried

74. The IMO calls on the Medical Council to establish an Ethics and Medical Research Committee to allow for cross specialty and cross site medical research.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier: Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Status :  Carried

75. This meeting calls upon the IMO to develop guidelines on the ethical usage of social media and to engage with the Medical council in promoting same.

Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier : Seconder: Dr Mark Murphy

Amendment: This meeting calls upon the IMO to develop guidelines on the ethical usage of social media. 

Status : Amended Motion Carried

76. This meeting calls on the Medical Council to ensure that cases that are referred for Professional Competence Assessment, under the Rules pursuant to the provisions of Section 11 and Part 11 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, are appropriate to that forum.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committe

Status : Carried

77. This meeting calls on the Medical Council, as part of the task it has set itself to enhance the trust of the public in the Health Service, to adopt and issue guidance for Clinicians in Management

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

78. The IMO calls on the Medical Council to publically recognise the primacy of the Doctor-Patient relationship and the implicit need for clinical independence.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried

79. The IMO calls upon the Government to immediately repeal the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Act and remove the Supervised Division from the Medical Register.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status : Carried

Health and Policy

80. The IMO calls on Government to place disease and disability prevention at the centre of its policy formulation.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Committee

Status : Carried

81. The IMO calls on Government, as part of a holistic health strategy, to ensure that health impact assessments are widely utilised as a method to ensure that future policies across the public policy spectrum are health proofed.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Committee

Status : Carried

82. The IMO calls on Government to develop a coherent and cohesive strategy to reduce inequalities, through job creation, focussed social support policies, and through health-supporting transport, housing and education policies.

Proposer: IMO Public Health Committee

Status : Carried

83. The IMO as the representative body for all doctors in Ireland, calls on the Government to engage with the IMO on all matters relating to the implementation of Government Health Policy.

Proposer: IMO Consultant Committee

Status : Carried