A plan to carry out a bone metabolism study on patients at St Ita's Hospital, Portrane, Co Dublin, has been described as "ludicrous and barbaric" by an organisation representing people with disabilities.
The consent of their families is to be sought for tests on 100 patients. The study is said to be concerned with bone metabolism and aimed at preventing bone fractures in patients at the hospital.
The Irish Council for People with Disabilities (ICPD) last night expressed its outrage at the plan and called for an immediate investigation.
However, the Eastern Health Board said the organisation had "completely misinterpreted and misunderstood this situation".
The study was being carried out by a local doctor working parttime at the hospital and no formal proposal to carry out the research had been considered by the Eastern Health Board, the management of St Ita's Hospital or the Hospital Ethics Committee, according to a statement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the Eastern Health Board had been asked to submit a report on the matter.
The ICPD has demanded to know who initiated and authorised the study and what its purpose is. It has written to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, and other members of the Government and to senior officials at the Eastern Health Board expressing "outrage" at the proposal.
"Very few of the residents in St Ita's are in a position to give an informed consent to such experiments. Many have no parents or guardians to advocate on their behalf. Most, if not all, would find a regime of frequent injections terrifying and distressing," said a statement.
"The idea that anyone would consider imposing such a regime on residents with disabilities - to find out if vitamin D and calcium are good for them - is ludicrous and barbaric."
The doctor, who works at St Ita's Hospital, wrote to patients and their families informing them of the proposed study on bone metabolism (i.e., build-up and breakdown).
The letter, which appeared on Eastern Health Board headed paper, stated: "We propose studying 100 residents in St Ita's, of which 50 will be control and the other 50 will be given medication with vitamin D, given by injection, and calcium, given orally.
"Blood testing will be done initially and at three-monthly, sixmonthly and nine-monthly intervals. The object of the study is to see whether the vitamin-D and calcium will reduce the risk of fractures in our patients."
Ms Cynthia Faughnan, whose autistic son Steven (22) is a patient at St Ita's, said she was appalled to receive the letter, as the hospital staff had promised that he would receive no medication.
She stressed that from the group of 20 of which her son was a part, 17 patients did not have living parents who could give consent for the injections.
"My son is autistic and does not like touching people or anyone touching him. If anyone approaches him with a hypodermic needle he will go mad. He would not sleep at night if he knew he was going to face that every day or three times a day," Ms Faughnan said.
A statement issued last night by the Eastern Health Board said the research was to establish whether an increase in vitamin-D and calcium, two products available in the supermarket, would reduce the risk of fractures.
The Labour Party Senator Mr Sean Ryan said the plan to proceed with the experiment would constitute "a gross violation of patients' rights" and said it raised a number of ethical questions.