‘Answers will be provided’

THE body appointed to carry out an independent review of the case of a woman wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer will draw up recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy.

Yesterday Dr Tracey Cooper, chief executive of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), said they intended to provide answers to Rebecca O’Malley’s concerns.

“It is important that we undertake an independent and thorough investigation into the events surrounding the care of Ms O’Malley,” Dr Cooper said. “The investigation will provide Ms O’Malley with answers to her outstanding concerns and make recommendations to be acted upon in order for learning to take place and to help prevent this or similar tragic incidents happening again.”

Ms O’Malley will meet with Dr Cooper today to continue discussions surrounding the scope, parameters and time-scale of the investigation.

Head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) Prof Brendan Drumm asked HIQA to undertake the review after he discussed the matter with Ms O’Malley on Tuesday.

Ms O’Malley, aged 41, from Killaloe, Co Clare, was given an incorrect report of a biopsy carried out at Cork University Hospital in 2005. The report said her breast lump was benign. Fourteen months later she had a mastectomy.

The HSE has already committed to a review of the entire caseload of the consultant pathologist who carried out the biopsy and who worked at CUH for approximately one year. It remains unclear if the Royal College of Physicians, originally asked to undertake the review, will have any further involvement.

Ms O’Malley said she felt reassured HIQA was determined to carry out a comprehensive investigation in order to uncover the truth of what happened in her case and to highlight lessons that needed to be learned.