Labour: Patients in Hep C scare should get counselling

Labour’s health spokesperson Liz McManus said that the young adults at the centre of the screening controversy should be given counselling and support.

She also called for the Health Service Executive to make a full statement on the “alarming” development.

She demanded to know when the hospital and the HSE first became aware of this incident and why it has taken 15 years for the details to emerge.

“In some cases of hepatitis C, the earlier it is detected the better the prospects for treatment and recovery,” she said.

“Unfortunately this case suggests that the culture of secrecy in the health area continues and indeed it appears to have been intensified by the creation of the HSE.”

The Labour deputy leader said it was alarming that cases like this were still coming to light and that it raised further questions whether there were other incidents where patients may have been put at risk that have not yet emerged.

She also called for a review and report on procedures in the children’s hospital.

“Many of those who received these platelets will now be young adults, some with children of their own now. It is essential that they should be provided not just with the necessary screening but also with counselling and support,” she noted.

She also called on Health Minister Mary Harney to immediately publish the Health Information and Quality Authority Bill and ensure its early enactment.