IT AS UNWORTHY of the Minister of Health to ease
himself lazily out of answering an awkward but pertinent question by a grimy old parliamentary expedient. The question was on why doctors who have been fined for negligence in the performance of their duties should be protected by having their
names kept secret: Mr. Walker-Smith's reply was that the names were kept secret under Mr. Bevan, too—as if this were a party matter. It is, of course, arguable in theory that secrecy should be preserved; sen- tence is passed by an executive council of the NHS, not by the courts, and it would be unfair to single out members of the medical profession for publicity, and not other people who are examined by administrative tribunals. Nevertheless, it is important that doctors should not become a privileged class, exempt from the ordinary processes of law. Where the charge is of criminal negligence, it ought to be treated as such through the courts, and not dealt with administratively. The line between criminal and administrative is, of course, difficult to draw; but the cases recently where doctors have let down their profession but—to all appearances—have escaped with little more than a nominal fine and no publicity, are not a healthy sign.
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