26 January 2000

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Doctors on house calls should be protected from wheel clampers

The Sinn Fein Group on Dublin City Council is calling for doctors making emergency house calls to be protected from ``over zealous'' wheel clampers.

Sinn Fein Councillor Nicky Kehoe is to table a motion at next month's council meeting for special passes to be issued to GPs. The doctors' union, the Irish Medical Organisation, said that doctors are finding their cars clamped after visiting patients at home, particularly in Dublin's inner city.

At the moment, only fire brigade vehicles and ambulances are exempt from clamping.

Councillor Kehoe said that the anomaly between ambulances and GPs ``must be sorted out before a tragedy occurs''. He added:

``This is a potentially life-threatening situation, halting doctors in the middle of their rounds while patients and families with sick children already distressed are put through further and unnecessary suffering.''

ENDS

Note: Cllr Kehoe is available for interview through the numbers above.

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