Results 8,921-8,940 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I understand it, while they did appoint consultant radiologists, radiographers and staff, they had difficulties getting staff but they did not bring in triple assessment.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I want to deal with the other point made by Deputy Kenny. I do not want to get into a blame game in this because a report is being prepared and the consultant will bring in all the facts. I understand that the original images diagnosed by the radiologist involved to determine the cases were used in the re-examination. The report will have to give its verdict on all that. Staff, equipment...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny raised several points I will try to answer. On the first point, Ann O'Doherty, the consultant radiologist in St. Vincent's University Hospital, is producing an overall report. People's careers are involved so I do not want to say anything——

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——that concerns the individual staff concerned.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny's question referred to cases in which women's lives might be at risk. That is precisely the point I explained yesterday in respect of why 13 units were closed down. Only two weeks ago, I was on the floor defending that position in response to questions put by the Deputy and others regarding why the units were closed. These units are considered to be less safe than they could...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I will answer the Deputy's questions and I will come to that issue because he does not understand it, unfortunately.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We want to provide safe units for all women. Some 15,000 mammograms are done each year. Two consultants read mammograms in the medical world of this country, Northern Ireland, Britain and, I understand, elsewhere only where numbers are below 500. It is not the practice in the medical world that mammograms are read by two people except where there are very low numbers. That is the position...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If the value of Leaders' Questions lies in dealing with current issues and misinformation that is what I am trying to do. In this case, the difficulty was that the cancer was not seen when the mammograms were read. Triple assessment only applies where it is read and then referred on. I hope that point is clear.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Triple assessment may be relevant to other issues and I have already stated it was not in place but in the case under discussion——

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: For the women involved, the problem was that the mammograms did not show cancers, so triple assessment would not have taken place. I hope the position is clear.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the issue of low volumes, the difficulty is that in our hospitals — I made this point yesterday and have to return to it today — 15,000 mammograms are conducted outside the auspices of BreastCheck. We are endeavouring, with the recent decisions made by the HSE, to designate four managed control networks and eight cancer centres which will be implemented on a managed and phased basis....

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy has asked more than one question.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: First, I remind Deputy Gilmore that the hospitals in Portlaoise and Cork are both public hospitals, so the issues we are talking about are consultants appointed by the process that exists to do their professional job in public hospitals. These issues did not arise in private hospitals. The Deputy knows my view——

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I said Cork and Portlaoise. I did not mention any others.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: With regard to equipment, almost every hospital will argue all the time that it should have the most modern equipment. The argument in this case——

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not disputing that. In fact, we are more advanced in this country than they are across the water and in other countries in moving towards digital equipment.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: We are more advanced in this country, I am told by the medics, in moving towards digital equipment.

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The machine in question was 15 years old. The normal period for a mammography machine would be in excess of 11 years and this machine had been tested on an annual basis. I am not saying that better equipment is not needed, but that is not the point. As I said earlier, it was the same mammograms that were examined by two different teams. It was the same mammograms and had nothing to do...

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not here to decide whether Maurice Nelligan, when he had that job before he retired many years ago, did his cardiac surgery operations perfectly. Whether he made a mistake or not and somebody died, I am not here to form judgment on that or on any other consultant. I am not here to answer ——

Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am not here ——