Patients unjustly deprived of an excellent doctor
I HAD always thought that it was a basic tenet of British justice that a man was deemed innocent until he was proved guilty. In the Rory Lyons fiasco the very opposite seems to have applied. In the weaselly worded, so-called apology issued by the authorities, the term 'insufficient evidence' is trotted out presumably so that officials can claim that they were 'acting in good faith'.
In fact was there any evidence at all? It is a question that naturally springs to mind. I look forward to reading the full report of the Good Governance Institute.
For some time now I have received the impression that, despite the States of Guernsey in June 2015 having dropped the policy of capping the number of doctors' surgeries, there were pressures to get rid of the Eagle Medical Practice. Was this for economic reasons or for administrative convenience?
Of course the powers that be are duty-bound to investigate all complaints, but they also have a duty to check the reliability of those complaints very carefully. In this case why did a complaint appear to have been seized upon so eagerly and why were the spouses of two of the patients who had died not been consulted before taking matters any further? One is left with an impression of vindictiveness and incompetence behind the extraordinary accusations made against Dr Lyons.
A weakness of all 'experts' is to slide into self-opinionated, self-righteous arrogance leading to what Shakespeare calls 'the insolence of office'. Such failings of the human character are not crimes but they can wreak as much damage as any criminal.
For nearly a year now many patients in Alderney have been unjustly deprived of the services of an excellent doctor and I, as one of them, am bitterly resentful.
The HSSD needs to do some very serious soul-searching.
R. J. RAYMOND,
17-18, High Street,
Alderney,
GY9 3UG.
Editor's footnote: Deputy Paul Luxon, HSSD minister, responds:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this letter from an Alderney resident.
HSSD welcomed the independent GGI report and has considered and discussed its contents and nine recommendations.
The Board has decided to implement eight of the report's recommendations in full and promptly, and a set of implementation actions has now been drawn up by the chief officer. The action plan was approved by board members at its meeting on 6 April 2016. The recommendation regarding the recruitment of a senior operating officer has been forwarded to the chief executive for his consideration.
