Organ retention inquiry ‘held up since resignation’

THE State’s five-year inquiry into the organ retention scandal may not be able to complete its work because a senior member of the investigation who quit his post has not been replaced.

The Department of Health told Irish Medical News that Mr Henry Murphy left the Dunne Inquiry team last October.

Mr Murphy’s departure followed the department’s ultimatum to the inquiry last September that it should finish next month.

The department admitted that no approval has yet been given to replace Mr Murphy.

The inquiry, which has cost over 18 million, has already missed five deadlines for the submission of its first report on the postmortem practices of the country’s children’s hospitals.

A further report on postmortem practices in maternity and general hospitals is expected by Ms Harney before the inquiry ends next month.

The inquiry, which has been reviewing postmortem practices in all hospitals since 1970, does not comment on its work.

This summer it emerged that around 30 hospitals had supplied pituitary glands from deceased children to pharmaceutical companies to make human growth hormone.

Parents for Justice spokesperson, Fionnuala O’Reilly, said the departure of Mr Murphy was a matter of concern and wondered if a lack of funding was to blame.

Ms O’Reilly also pointed out that they had yet to hear from the department about their request to meet with the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney.

Parents for Justice, representing 920 families affected by the organ retention controversy, withdrew from the inquiry in 2002, citing lack of confidence in its work.

Meanwhile, Minister Harney has agreed to meet some of the patients of disgraced obstetrician, Dr Michael Neary on Wednesday, March 9 in Dublin.

The meeting represents a change of mind on the part of the minister, who previously said that she would not meet the women until a report was completed into practices at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.