Harney knew of scan misdiagnosis last August

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney was aware of the miscarriage misdiagnosis crisis in August 2009, almost a year before the scandal was made public.

In a written answer to a parliamentary question, she confirmed she was contacted by solicitors acting on behalf of Melissa Redmond on August 7 last year.

The letter – which was also copied to HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm and the State Claims Agency – outlined how Ms Redmond, from Donabate in north Dublin, almost lost her child due to an incorrect scan which incorrectly said the foetus had died.

Both the Department of Health and the HSE responded to the correspondence by the end of that month.

However, while Ms Harney acknowledged last week that she had been aware of the scandal before it was made public, until now she has not clarified that she knew the details of the case for almost a year without publicly acknowledging the situation.

Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimghín O Caoláin, who obtained the information in a parliamentary response from Ms Harney, said he will seek an “urgent explanation” on why concern over miscarriage misdiagnoses was not made public until almost a year after the initial case was known.

“In her reply Ms Harney describes how her department and the HSE handled the Redmond case, but gives no indication that the wider implications were considered or even looked at.

“I will be calling on her to come into the Dáil to explain her silence and her inaction. It is a classic case of patients not being listened to. We must have full disclosure,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (IOG) has said it is highly unlikely any miscarriage misdiagnosis errors would not have been reported immediately. In a statement it confirmed that in the event of such a situation it is “clearly expected” that a nurse, doctor or any other hospital staff member would immediately inform their line manager.

While it asked women to have confidence in the service being provided, the IOG warned that maternity units may be prevented from sticking to best practice guidelines due to a shortage of staffing and resources.

Since the scandal was made public, hundreds of women have contacted the HSE’s emergency helplines due to concerns they may have suffered from a similar mistake.

The HSE confirmed it will review all suspect cases over the past five years.