Superbug compensation bill slashed as MRSA claims drop
IRELAND'S superbug compensation bill will be 85pc smaller than had been predicted, with just three claims lodged against hospitals so far in 2009.
Figures released by the State Claims Agency (SCA) show that claims for damages by victims of MRSA and C Difficile infections are set to fall well below last year's 34 cases.
And the dramatic drop has prompted the SCA to drastically revise predictions that the superbug scandal would leave a €500m dent in public finances.
Ciaran Breen, director of the agency, said the State could now expect to shell out between €75m and €80m over the next 15 years.
He put the reduction in claims down to "significantly improved" infection control procedures in hospitals as well as a realisation among superbug victims that proving negligence on the part of the healthcare system was very difficult.
"The threat has subsided," Mr Breen told the Irish Independent.
"We are nowhere near those kind of figures any more, even based on the most pessimistic projections."
Just three claims for MRSA and C Difficile have been lodged with the SCA in 2009 compared with 34 last year and 38 in 2007.
The trend mirrors a fall in MRSA infections, which decreased to 420 last year from 526 in 2007.
However, Mr Breen said better containment and risk management by hospitals was not the only factor leading to the drastic fall off in claims.
"There is generally a better recognition by the public and hospital authorities of the prevalence of MRSA in the community," Mr Breen said.
"There is another factor, however. Given the prevalence of MRSA, it's exceedingly difficult for a plaintiff, unless there are very specific circumstances, to prove that the source of the particular infection was in the hospital and was due to negligence on the hospital's part."
- Stephen O'Farrell
