Bipartisan approach urged on cancer

Cancer care and healthcare reform "is as fundamental to our society today as resolving the Northern Ireland problem was for many, many years", Minister for Health Mary Harney told the Dáil.

In a passionate and emotional speech defending her role and rejecting the Opposition's motion of no confidence, Ms Harney called on the leaders of the Opposition to "consider a bipartisan approach on cancer - just cancer. I think our citizens deserve that we do just that." Ms Harney said she was not seeking "carte blanche" for the health service and she insisted that "in everything I have done since I became Minister for Health, I have put patients first". She said that "quitting is a shortcut to failure and I don't accept failure".

She also said she had asked the chairman of the HSE to examine how patients were managed since the issue emerged, and she told the Dáil that the board met last night and were putting that review in place.

The Minister said that Dr Ann O'Doherty reviewed 3,027 mammograms and 2,000 ultrasounds and found nine cancers. Dr O'Doherty submitted her report to the HSE and it was being legally reviewed. Ms Harney said she had not seen the report.

She said she had answered parliamentary questions and in good faith gave information about the nine cancer cases found. "On 10 different occasions, my department on my behalf were onto the HSE about Dr Naughton's review," but was not able to get information. She said the HSE chief executive was not informed, nor was the head of hospital services.

The first she heard about Dr Naughton's review of ultrasounds was on Thursday at the health committee. "I was as shocked as anyone else when I heard it." The Minister again apologised to patients of the former midlands health board and particularly the patients in Portlaoise, and to the nine women whose treatment was delayed because of misdiagnosis.

She also wanted to "apologise to the women last Thursday who heard for the first time that there was an issue in relation to the ultrasound. That should never have happened and it will not happen again. I have ensured that from here on in that patients will hear directly from the health service before they ever hear on the airwaves."

Outlining what she had done as Minister, she said Ireland was the first country in the world to put a lay majority in place when legislation was introduced on medical practitioners. "I faced huge vested interests," she said, adding that other countries were now following.

She said they brought in a redress scheme for the victims of Dr Michael Neary, whose files disappeared and who had no opportunity to vindicate their rights.