A REVIEW of the work of a third consultant pathologist who worked in the laboratory of University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) is now being carried out, it was confirmed yesterday. The revelation was made by the Health Service Executive (HSE) after a report into the work of two other pathologists who were employed at the hospital was published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
Its investigation found a significant number of diagnostic errors were made by one of the two pathologist it reviewed, which resulted in a delayed diagnosis or delayed treatment for 12 patients. One of them had a 17-month delay in having bladder cancer diagnosed.
The locum consultant pathologist who made these errors, Dr Antoine Geagea, worked at UCHG from September 2006 to March 2007. He has been referred to the Medical Council.
Dr Geagea, who moved from UCHG to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where he worked in July and August 2007, no longer works in the State. CUH said last night it had got a UK laboratory called TDL to review all his work - some 1,173 tests - while in Cork. It said in the case of each patient whose case was reviewed, their doctor was furnished with Dr Geagea's initial report and the TDL report. "Doctors were asked to review their patients in light of the results. As a consequence of this process, CUH received no evidence that patient care was compromised."
Meanwhile, the second pathologist reviewed by HIQA in its report out yesterday made an error in reading a biopsy at UCHG in September 2005 which contributed to an 18-month delay in the diagnosis of a 51-year-old Tipperary woman with breast cancer.
The HSE West, when responding to HIQA's findings, disclosed that the work of a third pathologist who worked at UCHG in 2004 was now also being reviewed. It said it was informed in December last that this doctor had been suspended from the medical register in the UK for 18 months after concerns were raised about errors he made there. Prof Martin Cormican, clinical director of UCHG laboratory, said it was thus decided to review the slides reported on by this doctor while he worked at UCHG in February and March 2004.
As a result, a number of patients were being recalled for follow-up, he said. It had not been possible to date to make contact with all patients who required follow-up and therefore he could not say at this stage how many patients had been misdiagnosed.
Asked why the patients had not been followed up earlier, given that the HSE was informed of concerns about the doctor's work six months ago, he said the doctor did "a lot of work" while at UCHG and a system had to be put in place to conduct the review. "We did it as fast as we knew how to do it," he said.
The hospital has set up a telephone line for anyone who may have concerns or questions. The phone number is 1800 252 016 - 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.