Eleven miscarried foetuses were stored in a laboratory at Kerry General Hospital for up to three years, the Southern Health Board admitted yesterday.
The incident happened after a breakdown in procedures between the histopathological and gynaecological departments at Kerry General Hospital, its general manager, Ms Margie Lynch, said yesterday.
The breakdown in procedures led to a failure to bury four foetuses, even though permission had been given by the parents for burial.
The breakdown also meant no record was kept of the wishes of the parents regarding burial in the case of the other seven foetuses.
Ms Lynch said a review of the histopathology department at the hospital has found that sample tissue from some 20 women who had miscarriages had been held in the department for an extended period of time following the completion of appropriate histological analysis.
The review found that 11 of the 20 samples included a foetus, while the remaining nine samples comprised placental tissue only, said Ms Lynch in her statement.
The samples were taken between May 2001 and March 2004.
"Of these 11 samples, which included a foetus, permission had been documented in the hospital notes to arrange respectful burial for four of these foetuses by the hospital. For the remaining seven foetuses no permission had been documented," said Ms Lynch in her statement.
"These women have now been written to in order to seek their wishes pertaining to respectful burial," said Ms Lynch in her statement, adding that two of the foetuses date from 2001, two from 2002, one from 2003 and two from 2004.
Meanwhile, a Southern Health Board spokesperson confirmed that the four foetuses for which the hospital had received parental permission for burial have since been buried at a special Plot of the Angels at nearby Rathass Cemetery in Tralee.
Ms Lynch said it is routine procedure following a miscarriage that the miscarried tissue is sent to the histopathology department for analysis and once that is completed, and the woman told of the results, the appropriate respectful burial arrangements are made.
The arrangements are made either by the parents or by the hospital if the parents so wish.
The hospital stressed that at no time was there an intention to undertake research or further tests on the foetuses.
Management at the Tralee hospital have offered an apology to the women for the distress caused and professional counselling is being made available.
"Kerry General Hospital management would like to reiterate that all the women concerned have now been written to and to offer reassurance to former and current patients that they have no cause for concern on this issue," said Ms Lynch.
An information line has been set up for people to contact if they have any queries or concerns on 066 7184056, said Ms Lynch, adding that a complete review of relevant procedures is taking place in the hospital to ensure that there is no repetition of the incidents.
