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Medical Council president must resign - Frank Portelli

Dr Frank Portelli, the CEO of St Philips Hospital, is insisting that the president of the Medical Council must resign over the council’s decision to erase his name from the medical register unless he pays a fine, a decision which, he said, was null and void.

The decision was over a letter Dr Portelli wrote to Dr Louis Buhagiar in his capacity as hospital CEO on July 16, 2003 informing Dr Buhagiar he was being suspended from St Philips Hospital because of “repeated complaints we had received about the professional fees Dr Buhagiar was charging patients”.

Dr Portelli said that the letter suspending Dr Buhagiar from St Philips Hospital was not written in his personal capacity since no doctor could suspend another unless he occupied a position of authority, but in his capacity as a CEO of St Philips. So the Medical Council acted outside the powers ascribed to it by law.

“The President of the Council Dr Josella Farrugia signed the decision of the Medical Council condemning me to a punishment of a fine of €10,000, together with a conditional punishment that if this fine is not paid by October 1 my name will be erased from the medical register.

” The decision fining him, Dr Portelli said, stated that it was according to the Medical Council (Penalties) Regulations 2009 when the law quoted actually pertained to the Commissioners for Justice Petitions (Local Tribunals) (Amendment) Regulations, 2009. As it was a requisite of the law that the article of the law being breached had to be quoted when a judgement was delivered, the sentence in his regard was null and void, he said.

“I expect that the only honourable way out is for the president of the Medical Council to resign from the position which she holds having been appointed to this position in the first instance by the Prime Minister,” Dr Portelli said.

Dr Louis Buhagiar and St Philips Funds

Ms Angele Buhagiar run’s Dr Louis Buhagiar’s Clinic

The Clinic is called the Medical Centre, it was however not licenced to operate as a Clinic by the Health Authorities

The enclosed correspondence is self explanatory

19/8/2003

Ms Angele Buhagiar

The Medical Centre

Blue Grotto Avenue

Zurrieq

ZRQ 04

Dear Madam,

I refer to your letter of the 4^th August 2003.

I note that in your letter you have now confirmed that the Medical Centre did receive funds which funds were sent you in error, although Dr Louis Buhagiar had initially denied that you had received these funds.

You claim that these funds were sent to you by an insurance company TPU with whom you have many other claims.

We have in our possession a copy of the Swift Transfer Advice Reference Swift ISN BARCGB22 976378, which confirms that these funds were not sent to you by TPU as you claim.

These funds £1893.86 (Lm1219.08) were sent to you (alias Centre for Medical Assistance (Sic) AC number 784069427 HSBC Zurrieq) in error by the patient himself Mr. W Bantoft.

The Swift Transfer Document dated 11/10/2002 indicates Mr. Bantoft as the debtor as well as his account number 20821840531979.

You of course had already received payment for Dr Buhagiar’s fees for services rendered to Mr. Bantoft by a similar Swift transfer - Swift ISN BARCGB22 691726 on 18/7/2002, which renders your version of the facts completely untruthful.

In view of these facts, and your persistence in refusing to refund these funds I have been instructed by Dr Frank Portelli our CEO to inform the CID fraud squad of these events.

Finance Officer

St Philips Hospital

Times of Malta - Saturday, 5th July 2008

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland – replies to Prof God Laferla

Fintan Foy, Associate Director for Academic Affairs, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin
Godfrey Laferla, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta made a number of inaccurate comments regarding the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in his letter titled Postgraduate Medical Training In Malta. They require correction.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland was founded in 1784 by Royal Charter, giving the college the power to control the practice of surgery and to make provisions for surgical education.

The college is responsible for surgical training and examinations in Ireland and is the legal entity for the award of the Membership of the College (MRCSI). Since 1886, the college has also been providing undergraduate medical education. Graduates of the college receive the historical licentiates of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Since 1978, the college is a recognised college of the National University of Ireland with the award of the MB, BCh, BAO to its graduates in addition to the licentiates.
At present we have in excess of 1,300 students attending our medical school in Dublin. The RCSI also runs medical schools successfully in Bahrain and Penang, Malaysia.

In addition to the undergraduate medical programme the college also delivers degree programmes in pharmacy, physiotherapy and nursing.

All clinical teaching takes place in a number of RCSI teaching hospitals both in Ireland and overseas.
As regards postgraduate training, because of our relationship with the Royal College of Physicians the college will be able to provide assistance across a large number of specialties and not just in surgery, as stated by Prof. Laferla.
It is also important to note that it was the government of Malta which specifically requested our assistance in the area of postgraduate training because of the brain drain from Malta to the United Kingdom.
It is also important to be aware that postgraduate training in the United Kingdom comes under the control of the Postgraduate Medical, Education and Training Board rather than an individual medical school.

Finally, the RCSI did have discussions with the University in September 2007, when a number of subjects were covered including research, postgraduate training programmes, post-graduate degrees and a graduate medical school.

While it remains our wish that the management of the Medical School will be independent, it remains our view that the two institutions can still work together in the area of research, postgraduate degrees etc.
However, to date, we have not received confirmation on these potential areas of collaboration from the University, but again reiterate our wish to do so.

Comments

Dr Frank Portelli

The main point at issue is that the Dean of the Faulty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Prof. God. Laferla is misinformed on several issues and worse he did not check the facts before rushing to put pen to paper.
Postgraduate Training RCSI corrects Prof Laferla’s notion “As regards postgraduate training, because of our relationship with the Royal College of Physicians the college will be able to provide assistance across a large number of specialties and not just in surgery, as stated by Prof. Laferla”.

Awarding of Degrees

RCSI “is a recognised college of the National University of Ireland with the award of the MB, BCh, BAO to its graduates in addition to the licentiates.”

I am personally very disappointed to see the Dean of the Faculty of my own Alma Mater make such incorrect statements on medical education, misinforming the public, misinforming many young doctors eager for an opportunity to undergo postgraduate training in Malta, as well as misinforming so many potential graduate medical students.

I firmly believe we need a thorough shakeup in Medical Education in Malta.

The Maltese Government should ensure that no one should be allowed to impede progress by misinformation.

Dr Frank Portelli MD FRCS(Ed)

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