Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

The Lourdes inquiry is a frightening indictment of the blinkered treatment of the patients of Dr. Michael Neary in the maternity unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. I am sure this is not the only hospital and he is not the only consultant to have engaged in dubious practices. The women who suffered unnecessary procedures have gone to hell and back. Not only have women from County Louth been affected but women from my constituency of Galway East have also been involved.

I cannot help but draw the conclusion that the main reason for this devastation was, as Judge Harding Clark noted, an unquestioning respect for consultants. Some consultants are walking gods in our hospitals, with opinions that cannot be questioned. They act as if they believe they are superior to ordinary citizens. While I am aware many consultants are decent, professional and kind people, some have such a high self-regard they find it a chore to talk to ordinary folk. The report relates how some midwives were filled with fear and dread by a certain consultant who did not tolerate conversation. His patients had to sit up in their beds, with tables tidied and bed linen turned down in advance of his ward rounds. Such pomposity is revolting. This being's superiority was further underlined by the use of titles such as "mister" or "doctor", titles which are used as weapons of domination and devices of self-promotion. Even in the Dáil, the archaic and domineering titles of "Deputy" or "Doctor Dum Dum" are used. We come here as servants of the people, elected by the people on the basis of equality and nobody should bring titles which are not relevant to membership of this House.

Irrespective of how one wishes to artificially inflate his or her social importance, checks and controls must be in place. Regulatory authorities should take full blame for the fact that these were missing in this case. The Government also deserves blame for its refusal to accept or introduce whistleblower legislation. The report states the "consequences for his patients and for Dr. Neary himself make it poignantly obvious to the Inquiry that it is vital to have an objective review system in place in every hospital where outcomes are measured against accepted norms, and serious deviations are examined dispassionately for explanations". This is a powerful statement and the immediate implementation of such controls is vital for the future well-being of patients and the integrity of the health service.

If continuing professional development was made obligatory for consultants, this diabolic situation could have been avoided. It is unacceptable that after qualification, a consultant can operate for 30 years without any obligation to remain well versed in the most up-to-date methods of treating conditions. Medical bodies are to blame for this.

A number of factors converged to allow these appalling events to take place. The awe in which consultants were held, the absence of protection for whistleblowers, the lack of obligations on consultants to continue their professional development and the absence of an objective review system in hospitals all contributed to this situation.

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