Pressure grows for Martin to act in TB row

Pressure is growing from the Opposition for the Minister for Health to intervene in a row at Peamount Hospital which has seen an infectious TB patient from eastern Europe refused admittance.

Doctors at the Mater Hospital wanted to transfer the eastern European man to Peamount, but management at the national specialist referral centre for TB blocked the move.

Fine Gael TD Olivia Mitchell described the decision as "daft" and called on Minister Martin to intervene immediately.

Her comments have been echoed by Labour Party TD Liz McManus, who said the Government was ultimately to blame for the situation.

“The policy that the Government set out was that Peamount should change its service, but the Government has failed to ensure that the service to TB patients is developed in our acute hospital.

"So we have a direct failure by the Government impacting on an extremely sick patient. The minister is responsible and he has to take action."