HSE recalls 457 patients to rule out hepatitis C infection from surgeon

OVER 450 patients will have an anxious wait over the weekend before finding out if they may have been infected with the hepatitis C virus by a surgeon who worked at three hospitals in the west and north-west.

The HSE has confirmed that a surgeon who worked at hospitals in Galway, Mayo and Donegal has been diagnosed with the virus and they have reviewed over 800,000 procedures at the hospital in a period from 2004 to 2008.

Dr Breda Smyth, HSE public health specialist, said the review of patients was undertaken when it was discovered that the surgeon had contracted hepatitis C.