He made the comments when confirming a Medical Council recommendation that the GP be censured and a number of conditions be attached to his registration. The doctor became addicted to opioids after he had been prescribed pain relief for injuries he suffered some years earlier, the court heard. The chief executive of the Medical Council took the view he should be struck off because his conduct was "at the most serious end of the spectrum”. However, the full Medical Council agreed with the FtPC censure sanction given the admissions he made and his rehabilitation. These included administering opioids to 36 named patients where he knew it was not clinically warranted or was inappropriate.

Source: Irish Examiner April 01, 2019 16:52 UTC