Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Last year, we witnessed the scandal of misdiagnoses of cancer in women in Portlaoise. Following the unearthing of that scandal we had the usual reports from the Minister for chaos in health that this matter would be rectified and that lessons had been learned. We were told management and governance would be improved and that communications failures would be ended. We were promised that new protocols and rapid responses would be put in place and that there would be no more miscommunications of information. Let us consider what happened recently in the north east.

The HSE became aware of misdiagnoses in the north east last November, at the height of the scandal in Portlaoise. In March 2008, when this matter was brought to the notice of the public by Deputy O'Dowd and others, the HSE played it down and said that CT scans were not part of the review. Last week, six months after the misdiagnoses were first uncovered, a bombshell was dropped on the people of the north east. We were told that 6,000 X-rays and 70 CT scans were being reviewed. Not only that, but the communications were completely and utterly botched. Despite the fact that there are more than 100,000 people working in the HSE, this matter was outsourced to a company. Some patients received part of their correspondence, while some received their own correspondence and correspondence for other people. Letters were sent to persons who were deceased, which is absolutely scandalous and upsetting for their families.

For example, there is the case of Anne Kealy. In March 2007 she went for a CT scan and was told she had pneumonia. She went to hospital and contracted MRSA. When she was still unwell five weeks later, her family demanded a new scan. That scan showed that Anne Kealy had cancer in her kidney, lungs and brain. Anne Kealy got two letters last week. The letter she received on 14 May stated:

The x-rays and scans [. . .] will be carefully re-examined by an expert team of radiologists who are carrying out this look back review. . . . [B]ased upon expert medical advice it is our expectation that in the vast majority of cases there will be no cause for concern.

It went on to say:

[I]f you are reading this letter and are not the addressee, we very much regret any distress this letter may cause you and your family.

Anne Kealy died in August 2007. She received two letters this week.

Does this not amount to a cluster bomb of offences? It is a cluster bomb of incidents of mismanagement and further mismanagement over which the Minister for Health and Children, who was re-appointed last week by the Taoiseach, presides. Is the Taoiseach, as a long-standing Deputy and Minister, not ashamed of this situation? We were told last year that lessons had been learned, that new protocols would be put in place and that such a situation would never recur. Why has it taken six months to act in this matter? Why was the family of Ms Anne Kealy subjected to this type of treatment? How many more Anne Kealys have passed away in the meantime due to misdiagnoses and misinformation presided over by the Government and the re-appointed Minister for Health and Children?

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