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Irishhealth.com
January 30, 2002

Council to issue Woods reports
by Fergal Bowers

The Medical Council has upheld 13 of 55 allegations of professional misconduct by Dr Moira Woods, for improper diagnosis of child sexual abuse in a number of children.

It follows a six-hour meeting of the Council, to discuss a report on the biggest inquiry of its kind by its Fitness to Practise Committee.

The inquiry found that she had wrongly diagnosed child sexual abuse in the case of three children from three separate families. Allegations in relation to eight other children were not upheld. In all, the allegations related to 11 children from five families.

The Council has decided to censure Dr Woods and attach conditions to her continued practice in medicine. It has also been confirmed that each of the families will receive individualised reports on their cases within a week. This means that the full details of the inquiry are likely to be made public.

In a statement, Dr Woods, who now lives in Italy, said that she was very disappointed with the misconduct finding and added that she had worked in the best interests of children at all times when child sexual abuse was an unchartered area.

She also said that the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital had been a pioneering facility when it opened in 1985.

The Medical Council will hold a press briefing this evening where further details of the case may become known.