Time to call in HIQA to investigate to Drogheda allegations
Issued : Friday 12 March, 2010
Statement by Dominic Hannigan TD
Reports today that letters from GPs referring patients to consultants in Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda were being 'put in a box' needs urgent clarification.
If these reports are correct, they represent a new low in the delivery of health services in the North East.
The notion that hospital staff would be instructed not to add patients to a consultant's list is extremely serious and the matter must be investigated immediately.
There are now many unanswered question that need to be addressed. Clearly if patients are not being given the opportunity to see a consultant, they are being denied treatment that they clearly need and their safety is being put at risk.
Delays in treatment will result in a patient's health deteriorating, and may end up requiring treatment for a more complicated condition.
Any medical professional will confirm that prevention is better than cure, but how any preventative steps can be taken for a patient when their paperwork is sitting in a box, is beyond me.
It is imperative that we have an investigation into this, carried out by somebody like HIQA, as a matter of urgency.
