Minister for Health Mary Harney expects to meet management at Barringtons Hospital, Limerick, on Monday to discuss the problems with its breast-cancer treatment facilities that led to her to suspend the service.
Ms Harney said the problems at the hospital, identified by the State's chief medical officer, went "much wider" than the pathology results of one patient. She said she wanted "an appropriate investigative model" for the matter, which she is discussing with the Attorney General.
Minister for Health Mary Harney
The Minister said she wanted the discussion "so that we can make sure that any shortcomings here can be brought to the attention of the individuals concerned".
The Department of Health said last night treatment of patients with breast cancer at Barringtons Hospital was suspended after concerns emerged about the way in which up to 10 women were cared for.
Their care will now be independently investigated.
Reacting today to the Department's statement, the managing director of Barringtons Hospital said that a woman attended the hospital but that the mistakes were made in the pathology laboratory at University College Hospital Galway (UCHG).
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Pat Kennyprogramme, Denis Cahalane said no one was telling the laboratory at UCHG to close down.
Mr Cahalane said it would be more constructive if the private and public health care systems worked towards patient care in unity.
But Ms Harney said the reasons the breast cancer service at Barringtons was suspended were "much wider than the individual case".
"I was informed in early August that there was an immediate and ongoing risk to patients at Barringtons Hospital, and at my request the chief medical officer, Dr Kiely, and . . . deputy medical officer Dr Holohan went to visit the hospital.
"The hospital accepted there was a problem and agreed to suspend the services, and I very much welcome that," she said.
Ms Harney said "serious concerns" about the Barringtons Hospital breast cancer service had been expressed in a report carried out for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) by Prof Hill of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
"We all accept, unfortunately that mistakes happen in the healthcare system. In every hospital all over the world mistakes happen, no matter how competent or how large it is, a mistake can happen," Ms Harney said.
"But it goes much wider than the individual case of the pathology error at Galway hospital and that is why we asked for the service to be suspended."
The Minister acknowledged the lack of an accreditation or licensing regime for private healthcare providers and said she had established a commission chaired by Dr Deirdre Madden to examine the matter. This commission is due to report early next year.
Ms Harney also said she would implement national breast-surgery quality assurance standards, which she announced last May.
There would also be fewer centres and fewer surgeons involved in breast surgery and a "triple-assessment" system would be put in place ensuring that a surgeon, a pathologist and a radiologist would review every case.
Ms Harney's response was welcomed by the chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society, John McCormack, but he asked that she move "swiftly" to ensure the implementation of the guidelines.