Harney to meet with Shine’s alleged abuse victims

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has said she will meet with up to 200 alleged sexual abuse victims of former consultant surgeon Michael Shine, despite ignoring three requests for a meeting before Monday’s Prime Time investigation.

Speaking after fresh calls were made for an inquiry into the actions of the doctor – who was cleared of the offences in Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court in 2003 but later struck off the medical register for undertaking “improper medical examinations” on male patients – a Department of Health spokesperson said Ms Harney was open to a meeting.

However, Patients for Dignity spokesperson Bernadette Sullivan said the group has not been contacted by the minister.

“I have written to the minister three times looking for a meeting. When Mr Cowen was up in the north east recently I also asked him to speak to her.

“Thomas Byrne and Johnny Brady, who are TDs in Drogheda and Meath, have written to her on our behalf as well, but the only response I got back was 10 days ago when we were told to contact the HSE.

“We want an inquiry into what happened in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, we want people to acknowledge what happened.

“Around 200 people have said they were abused by him at that hospital, so I’ll await to see if there is a definitive date to this meeting,” she said.

During Monday’s Prime Time programme it was revealed that the struck-off surgeon, who has been accused of sexually abusing a number of male patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda from the 1970s to the 1990s, was continuing to offer medical advice to orphanages in India.

It also emerged that one alleged victim of the doctor who contacted his GP – former health minister Dr Rory O’ Hanlon – about the alleged abuse in 1974, was told to “shut up and not be so silly”, while other complaints to the hospital were ignored.

Shine rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing at the hospital.