Irish doctors get €600k web registration system

The Medical Council of Ireland has awarded a €600,000 contract to develop a registration system for the country's 17,000 doctors.

The system, supplied by iB Solutions, is part of a move to make doctors more accountable for their conduct and to more regularly assess their competency under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007.

The system will be rolled out in a three-phase deployment, expected to last 12 months.

The application replaces a paper-based process and the new database will allow doctors' registrations to be entered online. The system also operates online payments and requests for a Certificate of Good Standing, which doctors need to practise.

The contract lasts for five years and includes support registration, retention, register maintenance, and online payments processing.

In a statement, Jim McDermott, Medical Council head of IT, said: "iB Solutions has a highly experienced project team with a track record of delivering similar systems and an in-depth knowledge of the public sector. The company's partnership approach to the development was another important factor in its selection."

The Medical Practitioners Act has proved unpopular with Irish medical practitioners, who believe it undermines their autonomy. According to reports at the time the Bill was published, the Medical Council complained the regulations contained within it were too wide-ranging.

As part of the Act, patients get access to details about their doctors, which the registration system will provide.