Harney still under fire over X-ray scandal

There are further calls for the resignation of Health Minister Mary Harney over the X-ray scandal at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin.

Around 58,000 X-rays went unchecked over a five-year period at the facility, leading to delayed diagoses for two patients, one of whom has since died.

Helplines are open this weekend for anyone with any concerns.

Minister Harney is on a St Patricks Day trip to New Zealand and is not due back until March 21.

Fine Gael's Health spokesperson Dr James Reilly said heads must roll over the controversy.

"She should be sacked," Deputy Reilly said. "Now that's the bottom line."

"This has gone on long enough. This is one scandal too many."

Deputy Reilly also said the backlog of X-rays from Tallaght Hospital could have been tackled within a month instead of Minister Harney’s target of May, if she had given clear orders to the HSE to outsource the work.

“Now that this latest scandal has been exposed, the Government is still dragging its heels by setting a May deadline for the X-ray analysis," he said.

"The X-ray backlog could be resolved within 10 days by e-mailing them for analysis to consultants around Ireland, and the UK if necessary. A caring, concerned administration would resolve the referral letter issue within weeks by ensuring that sufficient staff were put in place to deal with them.

“The State and its agent Tallaght Hospital have failed their patients. They must act immediately to address that," Deputy Reilly added. "Only then can we be truly sure there is not another missed diagnosis."

Meanwhile the Irish Patients Association has said the Minister could order an investigation into failures at Tallaght hospital in Dublin from New Zealand.

Chairperson of the Irish Patients Association Stephen McMahon said the review could be as far-reaching as the Neary review into excessive hysterectomies at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda.

"We are living in a highly interconnected world and it would only take a few phonecalls for the Minister to be able to initiate such an important inquiry," Mr McMahon said.

"We believe that the output from this inquiry would be as groundbreaking as the outcomes and changes and reforms that happened since the Neary review, where major changes were made for the accountability of doctors and regulators."