The Department of Health and Children is to look into allegations that orthodontists who gave evidence to an Oireachtas inquiry were consequently daunted by Department and health and wellness board authorities.
3 orthodontists, 2 of them with consultant rank, provided evidence to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children in January 2002 regarding the condition of services around the nation.
Dr McNamara made the victimisation allegation in a letter to the chairman of the committee, Fianna Fil Cork South Central TD Mr Batt O'Keeffe.
It has since been circulated to the Department of Health and Children and the health boards concerned.
Fine Gael TD Ms Olivia Mitchell TD said the integrity of Oireachtas committees would be put in doubt if witnesses felt they could be penalised by their employers later.
"The Oireachtas committee system relies on the interaction between members of the Oireachtas and the witnesses that are called to give evidence," said Ms Mitchell, the party's spokeswoman on health.
"If any of those witnesses feel that evidence they give in that forum may lead to negative repercussions - professionally or personally - this could have long- term repercussions for the efficacy of the committee system in gathering information and calling witnesses from different professions and careers."
The Department of Health and Children last night told The Irish Times: "We have received a letter in this case. Any kind of claim against the health boards would be up to the health boards to investigate.
"There was a particular claim made against the Department of Health and Children. We will be looking into any such allegation. And we will be making contact with the chairman of the Oireachtas committee," a spokesperson said.
The allegations were "a very serious matter", Mr O'Keeffe said yesterday. "We have written to everybody, and we are awaiting their responses. We expect to receive replies quickly."
The Southern Health Board has already replied, though a spokesperson for the board last night refused to divulge the content of the letter. "That is a confidential matter at the moment."
Questioned about the allegations made by Dr McNamara, the chairman of the Orthodontist Ferntree Gully Consultants Group, Drogheda- based Dr Patrick McSherry, said: "I am not 100 per cent sure of where they are coming from."
Dr McSherry and other colleagues also appeared before the same Oireachtas committee. "We got a roasting from the politicians on the committee at the time. I was not victimised by anybody afterwards."
He said the three orthodontists were "very good orthodontists".
"We will have to await the response of the chairman of the committee, Deputy O'Keeffe. We know that he has asked for responses."
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