Health services and the medical council

I refer to the survey on health services conducted by sociologist Professor Mario Vassallo on behalf of The Sunday Times (February 12). Results show a high level of satisfaction with highly qualified doctors and with state and private hospital treatment. A very high percentage of those taking part in the study are in favour of the government's decision to build a new hospital.

Respondents were less satisfied with long waiting lists at the state hospital, the whole system of appointments, the standard of hygiene and the cost of private medical treatment and medicine.

The Medical Council, the regulator of the medical profession, did not feature in the survey. A regrettable and significant omission indeed. Should the public interpret the survey's omission as a genuine oversight or as an issue not at all related to the health services?

My experience tells me that the vast majority of the public has no inkling of the existence of the Medical Council and that those who do would be put off by its bureaucracy, lack of transparency and accountability, low lay-representation, and unreasonable delay in the resolution of cases. This situation is most regrettable.

The public's perception of the Medical Council in the survey would have been a useful tool to jolt the Minister of Health from his stubborn and paternalistic refusal to acknowledge the need for reform of the Medical Council.

He has, to date, opted to be silent in the media on the need for reform and seems more comfortable in adopting a dismissive and complacent attitude on this issue. Moreover, the survey would have given the Medical Council useful insights into how the public regards it.

Given that The Sunday Times survey has missed a golden opportunity to tackle this seemingly untouchable and intractable matter, it would help if other public entities, including the media, were to embark on yet another survey on the health services which, apart from the public, would give an opportunity to the medical and legal professions to express their perceptions of the Medical Council.

The discerning public would welcome a change of image the Medical Council currently portrays, that of a regulatory authority pontificating on the doctor-patient relationship, with a soft spot for the medical profession. The overarching goal of the Medical Council should always be to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in medical practice and health services.