Public inquiry into botched cancer tests ruled out

Minister for Health Mary Harney today ruled out an immediate public inquiry into botched breast cancer scans at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise.

Dozens of women have been recalled for new scans in a major review of procedures after it emerged last week that seven women were wrongly given the all-clear.

Opposition parties have called for urgent Government action to restore public confidence in the cancer care system while comments by HSE chief Brendan Drumm were branded “insensitive” by former Health Minister Mary O’Rourke.

Mr Drumm said yesterday that persistent opposition by local residents and medics to centres of excellence for cancer treatment had contributed to the problem in the Portlaoise hospital.

An internal report investigating how the incorrect diagnoses occurred is due to be given to Ms Harney at the end of the week.

But Ms O’Rourke said today: “It is astoundingly insensitive to say to the women in the centre of this awful dilemma that the public is responsible.

“That is not so. Whoever took the diagnosis is responsible, clearly.”

Ruling out an immediate public inquiry, Ms Harney said: “The first thing we have to do is see the result of this particular [HSE] investigation and maybe when we see that it will answer all the questions. The reality is here that we didn’t have a triple assessment, the hospital with the volume of activity like Portlaoise could never have that, and that is why it was totally unsafe to have breast cancer dealt with in 35 hospitals around this country.”

Labour health spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan said: “People are desperately seeking leadership on this. They don’t really trust that things are going to be put right.

“There is simply a lack of confidence in the system.”

Calling for an independent public inquiry, Fine Gael accused Ms Harney of shifting all responsibility for the crisis to the HSE.

Health spokesman Dr James O’Reilly said: “She is colluding with the HSE media strategy of blaming the public or practitioners or whoever they choose as the latest scapegoat while washing her hands of serious problems.”

Ms Harney said that it was a tragedy that seven women with cancer were misdiagnosed.

“It shouldn’t have happened. It did happen. The HSE has apologised and I’m quite certain at times like this people aren’t particularly interested in apologies but what I’m interesting in is ensuring that those women now get the treatment they should have got earlier and that other women and other patients are not put to through this awful ordeal because they are treated in centres where they can not get the standard of excellence they are entitled to expect in Ireland in 2007.

“And that means we have to rapidly proceed with the development of the eight centres and the plan is to have those centres in place by 2009.”

A new cancer control plan overseen by Canadian consultant Prof Tom Keane is due to be rolled out in coming weeks.

Calling for a thorough investigation at the Midlands General Hospital, Sinn Fein said the HSE had a duty to ensure that proper standards were maintained.

Health spokesman Caoimhghin O Caolain explained: “What is needed urgently is comprehensive cancer care provided in the public healthcare system and available to all based on need alone, regardless of ability to pay and without discrimination based on geographic location. Nothing less is acceptable.”

Ms Harney added: “This misdiagnosis has happened because of our failure in the past to put in place centres of excellence which could never have happened under the old health board regime.”