The number of consultant haematologists employed to treat people with blood disorders in the State is now less than when the Lindsay tribunal reported last summer, a leading consultant has claimed.
Dr Shaun McCann, consultant haematologist and president of the Irish Haematology Society, said the tribunal report recommended a sufficient number of consultant haematologists be appointed. However, very little had happened since.
"The situation in fact is worse than it was before the Lindsay report," he said.
"At the moment the number of consultant haematologists in Ireland, excluding transfusion medicine, is 1 per 175,000 of the population," Dr McCann said. "This contrasts with Switzerland, which has 1 per 30,000 of the population and most European countries where the ratio is 1 per 60,000 to 80,000. How can Irish consultants provide the level of care as provided by their colleagues in the EU with such a paucity of consultants?"
In a letter published in this week's Irish Medical News, he appealed to the Minister for Health and the Department to direct every health board to immediately provide full consultant cover for their patients as outlined by Comhairle na nOspideál. This body, which sanctions consultant posts, has accepted, he said, that one consultant should be appointed for every 60,000 to 80,000 of the population.
Dr McCann said there was no haematologist at the Mater Hospital, Dublin, or in the North Eastern Health Board area.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said last night substantial progress had been made on appointments in recent years. "In 1996, there were just 15 consultant haematologists in the country. In 1999, Comhairle recommended 39 posts for health boards and a further eight in the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. Of the posts recommended in 1999, 27 have been filled and a further six are in the process of being filled."