Hospital defends refusal of tele-medicine for children

A MAJOR hospital yesterday defended its decision to reject a free service offered by a children’s health charity which is headed by former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.

The Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick has refused a teleconferencing system offered by the Children for Children Foundation, saying it contained legal and procedural pitfalls.

The system enables consultants to link up and network with outside consultants when deciding on treatments. The new technology - called telemedicine - has been supplied to most major hospitals around the country by the foundation. Two Cork hospitals are also refusing to link into the new system.