Cllr. Ferris Grills HSE Management On Cancer Diagnoses Scandal

Cllr. Toireasa Ferris pictured with Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald at the recent Rural Revival Conference in Castleisland. Cllr. Ferris had the opportunity this week to question HSE management on the serious mishandling of scans and some of the fatal consequences at University Hospital Kerry. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Sinn Féin Kerry County Councillor Toireasa Ferris was the only public representative at this week’s briefing on a review of 46,000 radiology scans at University Hospital Kerry. Afterwards she had the opportunity to grill HSE management on the still unfolding scandal there.

At the briefing she was told that 11 patients had their diagnoses of cancer delayed and four of those had since died.

Grilled HSE Management

Speaking after the meeting, where she grilled HSE management on the scandal, Cllr Ferris said:

“Today, representing my party at the Rose Hotel in Tralee, I was presented with a 77 page report on the misdiagnosis scandal at University Hospital Kerry. Here, I was given an opportunity to question HSE management on how this scandal was allowed to happen.

Fifth Victim Unrecognised

“While we have been told, that unfortunately and unforgivably, that four patients who had a misdiagnosis at the hospital have since passed away and I believe that there is a fifth person that is not recognised nor acknowledged in this report.

Minimum of Recommendations

“The 77 page report deals with how the situation arose at the hospital and was eventually responded to, however, astoundingly there are less than two pages that deal with recommendations to prevent a similar situation happening again.

Timescale for Implementations ?

“Even more worrying is the fact that management could not give me a timescale on when these recommendations, i.e. the workload of radiologists working in our hospitals would be implemented.

“To acknowledge the pain and anxiety of the many thousands of patients and their families, the very least is that those guidelines, should as an absolute priority be immediately implemented.

“That this has not happened is appalling,” Cllr. Ferris concluded.

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