‘Doctor knows best’ culture led to organ scandal

A ‘DOCTOR knows best’ culture in Irish hospitals resulted in grieving parents not being informed that the organs and glands of their dead children were retained and sometimes sold, the Madden Report into the practice has found.

The causes of the organ retention controversy prior to 1999 were a “lack of communication with parents as to why organs were retained, the difference in perspective (between doctors and families) as to their symbolic significance and the legislative vacuum on the role of consent in post mortem practice”.

This was the conclusion of a 140-page report by UCC law lecturer and medical ethics expert Dr Deirdre Madden, which was published yesterday.