Medical scandals - Department failures must be probed

Legislation is urgently needed to protect patients and restore public confidence in the medical profession as a whole, following a series of medical scandals, such as the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of baby Roisín Ruddle, to the tainted blood scandal, the organ retention debacle, and the misconduct allegations made against the Drogheda obstetrician that were upheld by the Medical Council earlier this week.

The tainted blood scandal, which could ultimately claim the lives of up to 200 people, is probably the most serious scandal in the history of the State. It involved a frightening mixture of incompetence, bungling, and gross indifference, not to mention allegations of criminal behaviour. The notorious case of Dr Harold Shipman in Britain has added to the public anxiety here.

Public confidence has been so dented that even the most outrageous allegations are likely to receive credence, thereby not only further eroding public confidence but also feeding a compo frenzy and the financial hemorrhaging of the health sector that has been threatening both our medical and economic viability.