Dear Editor,
The Medical Council is a statutory body established with the aim of protecting a democratic society from unscrupulous members of the medical profession. Hence, its role in the registration, training and disciplining of members of the medical profession.
The Medical Council, therefore, should not be controlled or dominated by the medical profession, but by members of civil society ‒ the Guyana Medical School, the Bar Association, the Medical Association, the National Accreditation Council and the Ministry of Health in the person of the Chief Medical Officer who, for the sake of continuity, should be the chairman of the council.
The present Medical Council of Guyana does not reflect the spirit and intention of the Medical Act. A council elected in a manner similar to national elections, mirrors a political agenda which will allow the medical profession to usurp the power of the court in which they should be tried – the accused stands in trial before himself. The medical profession of course needs to be represented on the council, but it should by no means dominate that body which was established to sit in judgment on its members.
The demise of the Medical Association and the inability to resurrect that body established to uphold professional etiquette is a direct result of an elected Medical Council. The Medical Council is responsible for maintaining mainly ethics in the profession. The Medical Association upholds mainly etiquette. We have created a professional body that lacks etiquette while hopelessly striving to be ethical.
Since ethics and etiquette are vital for the survival of the medical profession in Guyana, it is time for the Medical Council to be constituted in keeping with the spirit and intention of the Medical Practitioners Act. This will allow the Medical Association to crawl out from the bottomless pit into which it was cast when our doctors were made to believe that they were to be represented by the Medical Council and not the Medical Association; after all, the Medical Association lacks the judicial and executive clout that is bestowed on the Council.
In a democracy, there should be separation of powers. The Medical Association is the legislature. The Medical Council is the judicature and the executive will always be the government in the person of the Minister of Health.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Robert D George
