Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister of State explain the reason open disclosure will not be mandatory? According to the definition of a patient safety incident, such an incident arises when a patient is admitted to hospital, undergoes an operation, is in a very weak condition, does not have family members with him or her, is often under general anaesthetic and the only other people in the room are medical providers. The definition in section 8 refers to a patient having been caused an "unintended or unanticipated injury, or harm". One would have thought the patient should be told of such an event. I understand circumstances where perhaps there is a threat or something nearly went wrong and did not occur but what is the downside of mandating in legislation that hospitals and doctors tell patients that they caused them unanticipated harm?