The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, has instructed that all health boards and hospitals should be informed immediately that a policy of "informed consent" by next-of-kin should operate in the case of removal of organs from children during post-mortem examinations.
The Minister issued a statement last night in response to the concerns about organs being removed during post-mortem examinations without parental permission at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children.
He said that the matter first came to the attention of his Department in June of this year and his immediate concern was to ensure that the practice in relation to retention of tissues in Crumlin was in accordance with standard practice in this area.
He asked the chief medical officer of his Department to review the arrangements in place in Crumlin. The chief medical officer was satisfied that the practice in this regard was consistent with the practice in hospitals nationally.
"The CMO was also advised that the hospital had taken steps to introduce a more comprehensive consent form dealing specifically with the retention of tissue and organs," the Minister said.
In recent days, the CMO also had discussions with the professional body governing pathology in Ireland, the faculty of pathology of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and was advised that guidelines dealing with this were being prepared by the faculty for issue to all members.
These guidelines would ensure that tissue and organs would be used for diagnostic, treatment and research purposes only where explicit consent had been obtained from the next-of-kin.
"Pending the issue by the faculty of pathology of these guidelines, I have instructed my Department to write immediately to all health boards and hospitals informing them that a policy of informed consent by next-of-kind should operate. I have also asked that all necessary information and support be provided to families who have concerns regarding individual patients," the Minister said.
These arrangements would ensure that post-mortem examinations were conducted in a manner that enjoyed the confidence of the general public and was sensitive to the needs of families, the Minister stated.