Independent Ireland TD for Cork North Central Ken O’Flynn has expressed his alarm after a dentist who was struck off in the UK was found to be practicing in Cork.
Reacting to a report featured in the Irish Mirror, O’Flynn said he will be engaging with the Dental Council of Ireland following a series of concerns raised with him following revelations concerning a 50-year-old dentist who has been found to be working at a dental surgery in Cork, where he featured on its website under the name “Dr Raj Nair”.
He expressed concern that “potentially dozens of sanctioned dentists” are working in the state.
The Irish Mirror reported that Dr Raj Nair, formerly known as Dr Rajesh Narendranath, was barred from practice in the UK in 2013 after a patient who had cancer and multiple sclerosis claimed that he had deliberately damaged her mouth during a procedure.
It also reported that Dr Narendranath has given talks at conferences and featured in the Irish Dental Association’s official journal as Dr Raj Nair.
After the Dental Council was alerted to Dr Narendranath’s use of an alternative name, the regulatory body launched an investigation into the matter, which is currently underway.
It is understood that as part of its inquiries, the Council contacted the dental practice in Cork where Dr Narendranath was working under the name Raj Nair. His photograph and name were subsequently removed from the practice’s website.
Deputy O’Flynn said, “While I am conscious that there is an investigation underway, and I certainly do not want to prejudge its outcome, I must state that I am deeply alarmed by these developments. I will be writing to the Dental Council demanding a full and thorough account of this case and I will be seeking a guarantee that dental patients in Cork are not at any risk whatsoever.”
He added,“I am aware that the Council’s own Code of Practice refers in a central way to the primacy of patient safety and patient welfare in all its decision making. I want guarantees that this high standard of ethical care is being actively safeguarded. I will also be writing to the Minister for Health asking if she is satisfied that the current regulatory environment is robust enough to secure patient safety.”
“What is profoundly concerning to me however is that this far from an isolated case. I am aware from reporting in the Irish Independent in January that provisions relating to dentistry have yet to be introduced under the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020, which was signed into law in October 2020.”
“As I understand it from reporting this effectively leaves the Dental Council powerless to act, despite the fact that an estimated 35 dentists have practised in Ireland who have had their work sanctioned in other jurisdictions.” he said.