Minister for Health Mary Harney has insisted that measures were being put in place to ensure the system failures identified in three reports on the handling of the breast cancer misdiagnosis issue at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise would not be repeated.
Ms Harney today reiterated her apology to the nine women identified in the clinical review who had a delay in their diagnoses of cancer.
This followed a series of reports into how the women were mistakenly given the all clear for breast cancer has found "significant and avoidable" delays in diagnoses as well as mismanagement that "heightened anxiety and uncertainty" for the women affected.
"The events that were the subject of these reports caused serious concern to many patients and their families in the Midlands," Ms Harney said.
"Clearly, the greatest distress was caused to nine patients identified by Dr Ann O'Doherty's review who had a delay in their diagnosis of cancer. I want to reiterate our apology to those women on my behalf and on behalf of all those involved."
Referring to the Fitzgerald report, Ms Harney said steps were now being taken "to ensure that similar events do not happen again".
"We need to strengthen the governance and management of serious incidents by the HSE. I welcome the steps already initiated by the board. These include the preparation and implementation of a new serious incident management protocol and a clear process for managing all aspects of a response to any future serious incident."
The Minister has asked the HSE board to adopt an interim serious incident protocol immediately.
HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm also apologised to the women affected on behalf of the organisation.
"I would also like to express my regret to the larger body of women for the upset that was caused who were subject to what turned out to be a very public, clinical review," he said.
Reports into the events surrounding breast cancer misdiagnoses at Midlands General Hospital Portlaoise paint an "alarming picture of the organisational shambles" of the Health Service Executive, the Labour party said.
Health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said John Fitzgerald's report concluding "serious weaknesses" of governance, management and communications, understated the "extent of the organisational chaos revealed".
"Despite the fact that senior personnel in the HSE are amongst the highest paid officials in the public service and have been provided with a small army of advisors and consultants to back them up, the picture we see in this report is one of no-one being in charge; no clear lines of authority; senior staff being unsure about who they are reporting to; and crucial reports, impacting on the lives and heath of patients, not being followed up," she said.
"It is particularly alarming that clear warning signals of problems at Portlaoise were not acted upon and that, for instance, the recommendations of a risk management review into an earlier 'incident' was not acted upon."
Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said the reports today show that the Minister's "claim that she presides over a health system that puts patient first is bogus".
He said Ms Harney must take responsibility for "the lack of urgency" shown from August to November in the matters.
"In what way did she put patients first between August and November? How were patients put first by a system which ignored warnings from medical staff about the equipment used to scan patients?" he said.
"Damning and all as these reports are, they do not deal with how the Minister for Health and her Department handled matters. They do not deal with the warning letter sent to the Minister in 2005 by a surgeon at the hospital. Therefore, they do not give me confidence that any significant change has occurred since I called for Minister Harney's resignation last November and I remain unconvinced by the ability of either the Minister or her HSE to provide timely and appropriate treatment for our citizens and to genuinely put patients first."