Serious questions to be answered in Kerry Hospital

18 December 2017

Labour Health spokesperson Alan Kelly TD has said this morning that serious questions remain to be answered in Kerry Hospital, including why the public are only finding out about it now. This follows a similar problem in 2015 with misdiagnosed scans that also included Kerry.

Deputy Kelly said:

“The review of 46,000 X Ray images and scans began in Kerry in October following staff concerns over the summer, yet the public is only becoming aware of it now, many weeks on.

“I’ve spoken to my colleagues Cllr Graham Spring and Cllr Terry O’Brien who have told me of the enormous concern in the locality due to the errors, and the need for an outside independent review of what happened, and why the public are only finding out about it now.

“Serious questions must be answered, and we must ensure this does not happen again. A similar incident occurred in 2015 with the work of three locum radiologists in Kerry, Cavan and Bantry. I will be seeking answers in the Dáil on this.

“Patients must be assured that when they get a scan that the examination and diagnosis they receive is correct.

“As part of the review there must also be an analysis of staffing levels in the Tralee unit. For this to happen once is bad enough, but for a similar misdiagnoses problem to arise again in Kerry raises serious questions.

“The Minister for Health now has an urgent responsibility to ensure that what happened in Kerry is an isolated incident. Minister Harris should ensure that diagnostic services nationally are operating with the correct number of staff, with robust procedures in place, to ensure patients can have trust in the service.”

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