Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The statement he made on 5 July 2011 in the Dáil and on 21 July 2011 before the joint committee on mortality rates in the coronary care unit at Roscommon Hospital was as follows:

A patient attending Galway University Hospital has a 5.8% mortality rate compared with a 21.3% mortality rate in Roscommon, which is four times greater.

That was not correct. At the time, the actual data was extracted from the coronary care unit register by Dr. Patrick McHugh, a medical consultant at the hospital, correlated by John McDermott of the Roscommon Hospital action committee and provided to Professor John Crown.

In his statement to the Seanad on 12 July Senator Crown stated that he had independently verified this data and that the figures that the Minister had provided to the Dáil were incorrect. When the correct figures are examined the average mortality rate for Roscommon Hospital between 2008 and 2010 is 4.92%. On this basis statistically Roscommon County Hospital was in fact a safer hospital in which to be treated than Galway, contrary to the Minister's comments. This was again acknowledged by Dr. Martin at the same meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee when she stated that subsequent analysis of the data compiled on Roscommon Hospital and work undertaken by the hospital highlighted limitations in the quality of data and had been more reassuring on the quality of care provided. The Minister needs to correct the record because what I have seen on the record is not correct.

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