John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I make this statement with somewhat of a heavy heart but I would like in the first instance to express my support for the Committee of Public Accounts in its investigation into the activities of State-funded institutions, including my own hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Group. It is a matter of record that I have long been troubled on many fronts by the way in which the boards of hospitals, and the board of my hospital in particular, do their business. I would like to personally dissociate myself, and any research organisations I have the privilege of running, from any connection with St. Vincent's Hospital Group or the St. Vincent's Hospital Foundation. It will become apparent that the board of St. Vincent's Hospital does not enjoy my confidence.

This began in 2002 when I discovered that members of staff of the hospital had been deliberately and fraudulently charging private health insurers in respect of cancer drugs which had been provided to that institution for free. I notified the relevant authority - the Irish Medicines Board - at the time. An investigation began, inexplicably stopped and was reformatted several days later. Documents have recently come into my possession which I am quite happy to discuss and share with the Minister for Health, because they refer to money that was fraudulently taken from the VHI, of which the Minister is the sole shareholder, and from other private health insurers. The documents would show conclusively that there was a cover-up conducted by the management and board of St. Vincent's Hospital in respect of this. Substantial intimidation was brought to bear at the time that the whistle was blown on this ten years ago but I believe in light of these new documents coming my way, and the increased scrutiny by the Committee of Public Accounts, that it is now time for this matter to be further investigated. I am asking the Leader to bring this to the attention of the Minister.