Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The contract was initially for a period of three months commencing on 1 June 2004 and was subsequently extended to February 2005. Following a further tender competition a fresh contract, at €2,630 per doctor per week, was placed commencing 1 March 2005. During this time Medicare Solutions had supplied a number of other doctors for periods lasting from a few weeks to three months. This contract expired on 31 December 2005. As and from 1 January 2006 the Defence Forces have been in a position to provide doctors from within the Medical Corps. We will not in the foreseeable future enter into any similar type of arrangement to that I am now describing.

The procedure for selecting suitable individual doctors was that candidates were identified and selected by the Medical Corps from the curricula vitae supplied to the Department by Medicare Solutions, which had expressed an interest in working with the Irish military contingent in Liberia. This selection was done on the basis of the professional qualifications, and particular clinical experience, of the various applicants as per their individual CVs. Dr. Lieberthal was selected to replace another previously selected candidate who had decided at very late notice not to proceed to Liberia. There appeared to be nothing whatsoever untoward in the CV supplied in respect of Dr. Lieberthal.

Dr. Lieberthal was first appointed for a three-month period from 8 December 2004. He was retained in Liberia until 31 December 2005, when the overall contract with Medicare Solutions expired. He worked in a civilian capacity and provided primary military medical care services to troops, that is, largely care of the routine general practitioner type. He also provided a similar level of medical service to a small contingent of Swedish military personnel. It was only after the contract had expired that it came to the attention of my Department that Dr. Wynne Lieberthal had been struck off the South African medical register by the Health Professions Council of South Africa in July 2004 after their investigation of various charges brought against him under the relevant South African legislation.

I am extremely concerned as to how this case arose and I will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to avoid any possible repetition. I am awaiting an urgent report from the chief of staff. Legal advice is being sought as to the performance of the specialist medical recruitment agency engaged to provide suitably qualified doctors who either had or would be expected to fulfil the requirements of the Irish Medical Council. It would not be appropriate to anticipate the outcome of legal advice and possible follow-up action at this early stage.

The requirement to pursue Irish Medical Council registration was included in the contract with the agency. However, I understand that the person in question applied for but never obtained Irish Medical Council registration. The delay in identifying this failure to obtain such registration will form part of the report on the case. While the safeguards in place will be reviewed along with the performance of the agency, it should be pointed out that in the first instance the person himself should not have commenced or sought work based on falsehoods.

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