Ahern backs hospital licensing authority

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday accepted that hospitals should be regulated by a licensing authority as the political debate over the findings of the Lourdes Hospital inquiry continues.

Challenged by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny to introduce a Patient Safety Authority, Mr Ahern said the Medical Council, the Pharmaceutical Council and An Bord Altranais were responsible for regulating the behaviour and standards of their staff.

However, he raised the possibility of licensing hospitals for the first time ever.

“There is no licensing authority for hospitals, either public or private. That is an issue that arises. I understand it is not simple to do but I accept it should be done. We never had such an authority. The procedure is voluntary and always has been, but it is an issue that arises,” he said.

In calling for a Patient Safety Authority, Mr Kenny said there was no State body with the power to close a public or private hospital, a public or private medical practice, a public or private dental practice, a private or public pharmacy practice or an alternative therapy clinic like the Carmody clinic.

“There is no authority that can close any of these. The Government should look again at the issue of a patient safety authority which would give vigorous oversight,” he said.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte called for the Government to implement a whistleblower’s bill.

“If employees in those circumstances had statutory protection, surely this (matters uncovered by the Lourdes inquiry) would have come to light earlier.

“It is almost beyond belief, leaving out the professional affinity between professional colleagues such as anaesthetists, who apparently never brought this to the attention of the institute.

“Other health personnel would have done so if there had been statutory protection,” he said.

However, Mr Ahern again ruled out the possibility of whistleblowers’ protection, saying it was the Government’s preference to deal with such protection on “a sectoral basis”.

The Taoiseach said: “After examining the Bill provided by the Labour Party previously (in 1999), it was decided that the best way to achieve its aims was to insert provisions for an investigative system for whistleblowers into sectoral legislation.”

He said other countries that had introduced widespread whistleblower’s legislation had subsequently reversed the measure.

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin called for the Government to publish the heads of the Medical Practitioner’s Bill, in which the Government intends to deal with many of the issues raised in this week’s report.

He also called on the gardaí to “proactively pursue” the issue of files being removed during the course of the Lourdes inquiry.