Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this very important issue. When members of our Defence Forces are sent on overseas missions, the least they can expect is that their medical needs will be looked after by the State. These men and women serve at the request of Government, the Houses of the Oireachtas and the UN. We must not forget the difficult and often life-threatening situations in which they are placed on our behalf.

The ongoing mission to Liberia, in which the Defence Forces have served with great distinction, is a particular case in point. This mission is difficult and dangerous. However, the recruitment of a doctor who had been removed from the medical register in his country of origin and the assignment to him of the key responsibility to provide medical assistance to our troops was an extremely serious lapse. The circumstances that led to this must be investigated fully and our concerns must be answered.

In these days of instant access to information, a simple web search reveals a considerable amount about Dr. Lieberthal. It is a fact that, at the same time that Dr. Lieberthal was being considered for appointment, information was available which clearly detailed his unsuitability for the post. An official statement from a provincial department of health in South Africa, carried on a website entry from November 2002, states clearly that Dr. Lieberthal had been suspended from Johannesburg Hospital, and that an audit of all the operations that he had carried out there was to be conducted. Another website listed Dr. Lieberthal as fourth on a list of the top 100 newsmakers in South Africa for 2002, having set a new record for the highest number of complaints laid against a doctor at the Health Professions Council.

It is clear that Dr. Lieberthal was removed from the medical register long before he was appointed in Liberia. That this was not uncovered prior to appointment raises very serious questions regarding the manner in which his qualifications were scrutinised. The company responsible for hiring Dr. Lieberthal, Medicare Solutions Limited, is based in the UK. A search of the UK companies office website shows this company is based in Surrey but no telephone number is given and there is no website for the company. I rang international directory enquiries and they were unable to find any telephone number for a company entitled Medicare Solutions, at the Surrey address or any other address. I hope the Minister can help solve the status of the company.

I understand that this company may have been paid €2,000 per day and that Dr. Lieberthal may have been paid out of this sum. I would appreciate if the Minister could confirm this. What payments, if any, were made to the company? I also understand that Dr. Lieberthal applied to the Irish Medical Council to be registered, but that his application failed. As the Minister may be aware, virtually all employment contracts for doctors stipulate that registration in the General Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council is essential.

With these facts in mind, there are a number of serious questions that may be answered by the Minister this evening. If he cannot do this he may do so at a later date. When did the military authorities discover that Dr. Lieberthal's registration had been erased from the South African medical register? How was this information brought to their attention? When was the Minister informed? How was the requirement for medical personnel in Liberia advertised? Was there a tender process, and if so, on what basis was the evaluation made and how was this company accepted? Was this a once-off arrangement, or has this company been contracted in the past to supply medical personnel?

Is the Minister aware of any other Department or agency that has operated a similar process with this company? Is this company currently supplying any medical or other personnel to the Defence Forces? How much money has been spent on the provision of medical personnel in Liberia? Will the Minister ensure that, from now on, all medical personnel contracted to work with the Defence Forces will be registered with the Medical Council and will be a position to show a certificate of good standing to prove such registration?

In light of the fact that Dr. Lieberthal also attended to up to 500 Swedish soldiers sharing Irish resources in Liberia, is the Minister concerned that the State is now legally exposed to an unacceptable degree following the appointment of this doctor? There is a serious shortfall of medical staff employed within the Defence Forces, of which the Minister will be acutely aware. What action will the Minister take to address this problem?

In assuming ever greater responsibilities, the Defence Forces will continue to rely on foreign nationals contracted to work for specific missions overseas. That a disgraced doctor, erased from his own country's medical register, could be employed to provide medical cover for Irish troops on mission overseas must be addressed by the Minister as a matter of urgency. The process that was or is in place put an unsuitable person in charge of the medical needs of Defence Forces personnel, not only from this State but also from one of our EU neighbours. This must not happen again and the Minister should outline how he proposes to change the current procedures.

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