Harney: 'Lessons must be learned from cancer scandal'
The Minister for Health has said again today that lessons must be learned from the breast cancer misdiagnosis scandal in Portlaoise.
Mary Harney made her comments in an appearance before the Oireachtas Health Committee.
She said the scandal in Portlaoise highlighted the urgent need for the consolidation of cancer services in specialist centres of excellence.
HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm, meanwhile, repeated his apology to the nine women who were wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer as a result of the blunders in Portlaoise.
He called on healthcare professions to support the establishment of eight centres of excellence for cancer treatment as quickly as possible.
Sinn Féin Dáil leader and health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said Ms Harney's comments could not be taken seriously.
"Minister Harney and Professor Drumm’s commitments that the Midlands cancer diagnosis scandal will not happen again cannot be taken seriously in the light of their failure to address the ever extending waiting times, now up to 18 months, for vital cancer tests such as colonoscopy as exposed earlier this week.
"I asked the Minister to justify her statement that these delays would be effectively addressed now that the new consultants’ contract is supposedly in place.
"I asked where and when and how many consultants will be allocated to this work - for example colonoscopy – and what is the target and timetable for reduction of waiting times. Neither the minister nor Professor Drumm were able to supply satisfactory answers."
