Harney refuses to quit over cancer crisis
In a Dáil speech lasting 24 minutes, the Health Minister rejected opposition calls to resign and said she would leave “no stone unturned” to ensure the national cancer strategy became a reality “sooner rather than later”.
At times combative, at times her voice appearing on the verge of cracking, Ms Harney said she could not be blamed for the misdiagnoses of patients.
The minister compared the situation to the scandal at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda involving obstetrician Michael Neary, who removed the wombs or ovaries of hundreds of women unnecessarily.
“What a great pity there wasn’t a review of activities in the maternity unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital for 25 years, and blaming me for what happened in Portlaoise is like blaming the 13 health ministers that presided when the activities were going on in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. It is the same,” said Ms Harney.
The minister indicated that she would have resigned if she had been responsible for the cancer-screening crisis.
“If any action of mine compromised patient care, and led to a misdiagnosis and delayed treatment for any patient, the opposition would not have to put down a motion of no confidence. It just wouldn’t arise,” she said.
Nonetheless, she again apologised to the women affected by the misdiagnoses.
“In everything I’ve done since I’ve became Minister for Health and Children, I’ve put patients first, and tonight I want to begin by apologising to the patients of the former Midland Health Board, particularly the patients of Portlaoise,” she said.
“I want to apologise to them for the anguish and the distress that was caused. I want in particular to apologise to the nine women whose treatment was delayed as a result of a misdiagnosis.
“And furthermore, I want to apologise to the women last Thursday who heard for the first time on the airwaves that there was an issue in relation to their ultrasound.
“That should never have happened, and it will not happen again.”
Ms Harney said the issues of cancer care and healthcare reform more generally were “as fundamental to our society today as resolving the Northern Ireland problem was for many, many years”.
And she called for the opposition to work with the Government to ensure a united approach to developing the best cancer services possible.
“I hope I’m not naive but I do invite the leaders of the opposition to consider a bipartisan approach on cancer — just cancer. I think our citizens deserve that we would do that.”
Ms Harney stressed that she had not yet seen the report of Dr Ann O’Doherty, who conducted a review of mammograms carried out at Portlaoise.
The HSE had received the report last Friday and was seeking legal advice before distributing it.
“I haven’t seen the report; I’m not entitled to see the report — that report has first got to be cleared by lawyers before it proceeds any further,” said Ms Harney.
She also said neither she, her department nor HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm had been made aware that a separate review of ultrasounds conducted at Portlaoise was being carried out by consultant Peter Naughton.
“The first time I knew that Mr Naughton had commissioned a separate report in relation to 567 or thereabouts ultrasounds was last Wednesday evening,” she said.
Opposition TDs frequently interrupted Ms Harney as she defended her record.
But she rejected their criticisms that she was an ideologue or representing merely the wealthy in society.
“I’m not here to represent the rich; they can always look after themselves,” she said.
And the minister insisted: “I want to be able to look any patient I meet in the eye, from anywhere in the country, woman or man, whether from urban areas or rural areas, and I want to say to them we are putting in place in Ireland a cancer programme that will deliver to you the best possible outcome, your best chances of survival.”
“Quitting is a shortcut to failure, and I don’t accept failure” — Health Minister Mary Harney
“You should hang your head in shame” — Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly
“Minister Harney has lost the confidence of the public, she has lost the confidence of those who work in the health service, and she has most certainly lost the confidence of those women who put their trust in our health services and who have been so badly let down” — Labour health spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan
“If political accountability is to mean anything then Minister Harney must accept overall responsibility for the way in which these women were treated” — Ms O’Sullivan again
“The HSE was developed as a flagship model of a centralised health service. In designing this creature, the minister confined her role to policy, openings and speeches. Like Napoleon she made provision for an army of administrators who would know everything about the system. But the sad reality of her creation is that Minister Harney is now out of touch and the HSE is out of control” — Labour deputy leader Joan Burton
“Loyalty to the system takes precedence over duty of care to the patient — a despicable Orwellian concept and a situation your blinkered ideology has brought about”— Fine Gael’s Dr Reilly to Ms Harney
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