Drumm cannot absolve himself in Tallaght fiasco
Issued : Sunday 14 March, 2010
Statement by Jan O'Sullivan TD
Minister of State, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with special responsibility for Housing and Planning
Speaking on RTE Radio today HSE Chief Brendan Drumm attempted to absolve himself and the HSE from any blame in the serious problems in Tallaght Hospital ,that have come to light in recent days.
Tallaght Hospital is funded by the HSE with over €200m of taxpayers money every year, and the notion that we can hand over such a massive sum of money without putting in place any mechanisms to ensure that the money is spent correctly and that basic standards of management and care are met, would seem ludicrous to any reasonable person.
Yet that is what Professor Drumm seems to be suggesting.
His claim that as a voluntary hospital, what goes on in Tallaght is purely a matter for its own Board of Management and that the HSE has no hand act or part on running the facility, may be true in a very narrow legal sense, but in reality taxpayers in general and members of local communities in particular are perfectly entitled to expect hight standards from a hospital that is funded predominantly from the public purse.
Today's remarks from Professor Drumm's are his first major intervention since the crisis came to light last week. I'm sure that Professor Drumm is concerned about this, but he has a funny way of showing it. When a controversy like this emerges, particularly when the Minister is absent, people working in the health sector and people who rely on the health services, have a right to expect some level leadership and a sense that the issues are being tackled head-on. Sadly this has been markedly absent this week.
I believe that we need to get to the bottom of the problems in Tallaght Hospital once and for all, and the only way we can do that is by an independent inquiry, to be carried out by HIQA. This should be established in the coming days, as a matter of urgency.
