Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He is seeking an urgent response. That is the usual line – to seek an urgent response and hope the media go away. In March 2016 there was a similar case where a doctor was employed in four hospitals despite concerns about his performance. A file was submitted to the then Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, who is now the Taoiseach. Following that particular case the doctor was found guilty in a fitness to practise inquiry of 28 counts of poor performance by the Medical Council.

At that stage in March 2016 the HSE gave a commitment to establish a standardised policy to deal with references and Garda medical registration checks. That was in March 2016, some two and a half years ago. Yet, in November 2018 we have a situation whereby the President of the High Court has absolutely slammed recruitment procedures within the HSE. One need only read the judgment to see his comments on the recruitment procedures. What are those procedures doing for people who are looking for treatment from these doctors? The Government cannot simply dismiss this or do the usual thing and say the Minister is looking for a report. We need answers and guarantees that there are no more doctors of this calibre within the system. We need guarantees that they can be rooted out and that other people have not got through this flawed recruitment process. That is the assurance the Tánaiste needs to give today.

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