Inquiry call over hospital’s 58,000 unreviewed X-rays

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney will come under pressure in the Dáil to carry out a review of consultants’ work throughout the hospital network in the wake of the disclosure that one of the country’s largest hospitals had backlogs which left almost 58,000 X-rays unreviewed by consultant radiologists.

Tallaght Hospital said two patients – one of whom later died and another who is now undergoing cancer treatment – had their diagnoses delayed as a result of the build-up between 2005 and the end of last year.

Professor Kevin Conlon, chief executive at the south Dublin hospital, said the institution deeply regretted the situation and was working hard to resolve the problem.