Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 22 November 2018

Public Accounts Committee

2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 15: Hepatitis C Treatment in Ireland
Management of Medical Negligence

9:00 am

Mr. Jim Breslin:

Yes, but that is very much done by the tribunal based on individual circumstances. I know I am taking up the Deputy's time, but may I agree with his comments on Dr. Brian O'Mahony and the Irish Haemophilia Society and the hepatitis C communities. A key learning from this case come from an absolutely horrendous place for the country and for the groups affected. We have managed to work with them on the redesign of services, with patients at the heart of them. I refer to the National Haemophilia Council. I first worked with Dr. Brian O'Mahony on the product selection group, where the haemophilia community discusses the procurement process to procure the blood products that are used in Ireland and mostly used by the haemophilia community. That tells the committee members the ownership that they have of this issue. There is a learning for us in all of what we have been through over recent months as to how we involve patients in the work of the health service as a core partner in its service delivery and not after the fact, when things go wrong. We have to do that too, obviously.