A Galway surgeon has agreed to be censured by the Medical Council for professional misconduct for failing to supply a medical report for a 14-year-old victim of a road traffic accident, despite requests for the report over several years.
Mr John Flynn, who works as a locum at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, gave an undertaking today at a fitness to practice inquiry to meet all requests for such reports in the future.
The inquiry heard how Mr Flynn had treated the 14-year-old boy at the hospital after the accident in Athlone on 30 October 2003.
Despite repeated requests between 2005 and 2008 for the medical report, which was needed for a legal action arising from the accident, Mr Flynn declined to provide it. He felt getting involved in court proceedings disrupted his medical practice at the hospital.
Mr Flynn felt that medico-legal cases were an opportunity for lawyers and doctors to generate income for both sides and were a distraction from his primary concern of patient care.
After lawyers for the 14-year-old complained to the Medical Council about the delay in supplying a report, Mr Flynn provided the medical report in January of this year.
Mr Vincent Shields for Mr Flynn told the inquiry that his client accepted the allegations, but maintained he feels it is impossible to run an effective practice in circumstances where he has to attend court hearings.
Mr Shields added that his client had supplied the report on 5 January this year.
Today's inquiry heard that the 69-year-old surgeon was censured previously by the Medical Council in 1998 for failing to supply a medical report in another case relating to the victim of a road traffic accident.
