Harney and health chief in dark about second screening review
Health Minister Mary Harney addresses the media at Farmleigh House last night
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THE Minister for Health, the HSE chief Professor Brendan Drumm and their senior officials did not find out that a second major review of breast cancer services was being carried out until a matter of hours before it became public.
And the information only emerged as a result of queries made by officials in the Health Department who were preparing an answer to a parliamentary question.
Last night, Health Minister Mary Harney said she had "no information" about when it had been intended to tell the women involved.
She said she only heard about the issue herself on Wednesday night and only became aware of the full scale of the problems during yesterday's Dail Committee on Health and Children.
"The first time that I became aware there was due process under way was last night (Wed)," she said.
"I only became aware of the detail of that when Mr (John) O'Brien outlined it to the committee. That was the first time I became aware 97 women were going to be called back for further diagnosis."
Speaking in Farmleigh last night, she apologised to the women involved and said she had asked for a report from the HSE into the matter.
"We weren't aware. I wasn't aware. The department wasn't aware that there was any other review other than the Dr Ann O'Doherty review," said Ms Harney.
The details of the probe did not emerge until a query was put into the HSE, according to the deputy chief medical officer in the Health Department, Dr Tom Holohan.
"It was in the context with clarifying a particular matter with the HSE in relation to a PQ (parliamentary question) that the HSE made some reference to a second review," he said.
"On further questioning, we discovered there was a second process."
Last night, Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said Ms Harney's confession that she didn't know any of the details until last night vindicated his call for her to resign.
"She has clearly now become disinterested, disengaged, not competent and not in control of her brief," he said.
Ms Harney said she was not getting into party politics.
But she said if there is a motion of no confidence in the Dail, she would deal with it.
When questioned on whether she was satisfied, she replied: "I don't think anyone could be satisfied when the Minister for Health and the Department of Health weren't aware there was a dual process under way.
"There are issues that arise and it is a matter for Prof Drumm in the first instance."
Her priority at present is that the women involved would get the appropriate treatment.
"Clearly I think there are issues around the communication of this matter but my main concern remains with the individual women," she said.
- Shane Hickey and Fionnan Sheehan
