A prominent doctor has resigned from a medical board over the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis in nursing homes.

Dr Marcus de Brun has described the management of the crisis as "the biggest political blunders in the history of the Irish State".

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The GP was appointed by Health Minister Simon Harris to the board of the Medical Council two years ago. He has now resigned from the board in protest at the lack of focus on nursing homes.

Dr de Brun says the strategy to isolate the entire populations means those most at risk have “featured as something of an afterthough”.

“Unquestionably the most vulnerable cohort of patients in Ireland are those residents of Nursing Homes. This fact should have been entirely obvious to all involved in the management of the crisis.

"Most of these individuals are of course elderly and most have significant underlying health conditions. Nursing home residents cannot or could not be expected to avail of the same measures applied to the general public,” he wrote in an article criticising the handling of the crisis.

It remains an evolving tragedy

Dr de Brun says their needs and care were only considered at a ministerial level in late March, long after the arrival of the virus on in late February.

“It beggar's belief, and remains an evolving tragedy, that these vulnerable people were not considered as the first priority for the state, rather than being the last to be considered.”

Dr de Brun runs the Rush Family Practice in Co Dublin since 2010. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland: MB.

He also holds a degree in Microbiology from TCD.

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Online Editors