Madam, - There are renewed calls for an "independent public enquiry" into cancer misdiagnosis cases at Ennis General Hospital. Why not ask the Oireachtas Health Committee to carry out an inquiry? The committee has powers to call any witnesses, including the Minister for Health and the chief executive of the Health Service Executive and any evidence it wishes. It can issue interim reports; it is independent; it is open to the public and media; and it could report with recommendations within weeks. - Yours, etc,
MAX MADDEN (Former UK Labour), John Street, Kilrush, Co Clare.
Madam, - Three examples of cancer misdiagnosis have been reported in the media recently, the latest one being revealed by Michael Noonan TD on in the Dáil last Wednesday. The first two resulted in the deaths of Ms Ann Moriarty and Ms Edel Kelly and in the third case another woman is seriously ill.
In the case of Ms Moriarty, an X-ray taken on June 11th, 2007 in Ennis General Hospital was misread by a locum radiologist. It seems extraordinary that this X-ray was not checked by a person senior to this radiologist, as seems to have been the case.
The Irish Times of September 11th reported that an internal HSE investigation into Ms Moriarty's case recommended that "an auditable process needs to be developed whereby consultants review all critical decisions made by junior medical staff, especially with regard to discharging patients from care".
One would have thought this would already be standard procedure for the interpretation of X-rays and all critical medical tests.
Errors and misdiagnoses are inevitable but many errors can be picked up by consultants checking the work of other staff, even if the the original results have to be sent to another hospital. - Yours, etc,
DENIS COSTELLO, Glendown Grove, Dublin 6W.