Top doctors withdraw from TT

MCN has received a statement which says TT Chief Medical Officer Dr Heike Rommer and Medical Director Dr Stevens will not be involved in the 2011 TT, but will continue to work at the 2011 Manx GP.

The initial statement reads:

Medical services for TT 2010 were organised and run jointly by Chief Medical Officer Dr Heike Romer and Medical Director, Dr David B Stevens MBE.

Neither doctor will be involved with medical services for TT 2011, but will continue their association with the 2011 Manx Grand Prix.

Dr Stevens then issued a subsequent statement with an explanation why they would not be working at the TT. This read:

The reasons for issuing the above statement are as follows:

Without any discussion or negotiation with us, Jim Parker of the TT organisers, ACU Events [IOM] Ltd, decided because of “severe budgetary pressure” to have no Chief Medical Officer for TT 2011 and “the post is not necessary”.

Instead, I was asked, as Medical Director, if I would organise and run ALL the services required, presumably, as usual, for free!!

Mr Parker has also insisted on only one doctor, instead of the usual two, in race control.

Five experienced TT race control doctors considered this to be an unworkable and unsafe practice, therefore making our further involvement, impossible.

Requests, on several occasions, for a discussion were ignored.

Dr Stevens is the Medical Director for the Manx Grand Prix Motorcycle Races, Chief Medical Officer for the Southern 100 Motorcycle Races, Medical Advisor to the ACU [Auto-Cycle Union] and Medical Panel Co-Chairman, British Medical Delegate to the FIM [Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme] International Medical Panel, Secretary and Director of the Rob Vine Fund, Registered Charity No 954 [Isle of Man], and Secretary and Coordinator for the Hogg Motorsport Association.