There's no such thing as a hospital free of medical error, Minister for Health Mary Harney has said.
Responding to news of unread x-rays at Tallaght hospital, Ms Harney said Ireland would never have a system where errors don't occur, nor would anywhere in the world.
Yesterday the hospital admitted that almost 58,000 X-rays taken over a four-year period were never reviewed by a consultant radiologist.
Two cancer patients received a delayed diagnosis as a result of the error. One of these patients has since died, while the other is being treated at the hospital.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland earlier today, Ms Harney said it was 'unacceptable medical practice' that the x-rays weren't reviewed, but added: "We will never have a system in which errors don't occur but what's important here is that when they do, the bad practice stops, we carry out an enquiry and we learn lessons."
Ms Harney expressed sadness at the delayed diagnosis in relation to two patients, but insisted: "This is not a huge scandal of misdiagnosis...what we know is the 57,000 X-rays were not read by a radiologist".
Deflecting criticism, Ms Harney said: "If a radiologist doesn’t report on x-rays in a hospital you cannot seriously believe that that is a matter that the minister has direct personal responsibility for".