Medical Council members reject doctor`s claims
The president of the Medical Council and 10 of its members yesterday replied to an application for a warrant of prohibitory injunction filed against them by another council member. The application, filed by Dr Joseph Xuereb, was provisionally upheld by...
The president of the Medical Council and 10 of its members yesterday replied to an application for a warrant of prohibitory injunction filed against them by another council member.
The application, filed by Dr Joseph Xuereb, was provisionally upheld by Mr Justice Anton Depasquale in the First Hall of the Civil Court.
Dr Xuereb asked the court to prohibit the Medical Council from participating in any investigations or issuing any decision in his regard.
He filed his application for the warrant of prohibitory injunction against council president Judge Victor Caruana Colombo and against members Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Agius, Prof. Godfrey Laferla, Prof. Frederick Fenech, Dr Herbert Messina Ferrante, Dr Conrad Azzopardi, Mr Frederick Zammit Maempel, Dr Frank Vella Bardon, Mr George Buttigieg, Dr Charles Boffa and Dr Carmlino Vella.
The council members said Dr Xuereb`s application had been filed against them in their individual capacity and not on behalf of the Medical Council. In fact, the application ought to have been filed, if at all, against the council itself and not against its individual members.
The council, they added, did not plan to investigate Dr Xuereb`s conduct as a member of the Medical Council. Dr Xuereb had chosen to make a number of allegations both in the council and with Dr Leonard Harvey about the actions of other doctors and of the council in the past. The council felt it would be wise to examine such allegations in order to establish the truth.
The council members said that such investigations certainly fell within the council`s powers for it would be absurd if the council were prohibited from investigating allegations made about it.
They declared that Dr Xuereb was incorrect when he said that his behaviour, or that of some other member of the council, was being investigated. The council could not be prohibited from investigating a doctor simply because such doctor was a council member.
Dr Stefan Frendo was counsel to Dr Xuereb.
Prof. Ian Refalo was counsel to respondents.