Martin blames health bodies for failure to fill posts
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FORMER Health Minister, Michael Martin has vehemently defended his handling of funding for midlands cancer care services in 2002 -- insisting that the former health board and Comhairle na nOispideal took too long to spend allocated money on critical posts.
Enterprise Minister, Mr Martin, who was responsible for the Department of Health in 2001/02, last night insisted that he not only provided funding for key cancer care services in Portlaoise, but also sanctioned filling the medical posts involved.
Mr Martin -- in an interview with NewsTalk radio -- added that he was mystified that so much attention should now be focussed on a letter sent to the department by a Portlaoise consultant six years ago instead of on the preliminary reports into the Midlands controversy.
"Our concern should be for the women who have been misdiagnosed -- we still haven't had a clinical report on that and they should be the No 1 concern," added Mr Martin.
"But in relation to the Midlands and the Portlaoise situation, I am well aware of what happened in 2000 and 2001 -- and, in essence, I sanctioned funding for Portlaoise in 2001 and indeed the consultant, Peter Naughton, wrote to me subsequently -- I actually saw the letter today in terms of what his issues were -- and basically the money wasn't spent by the health board."
Mr Martin insisted that the background to a letter being cited by the Opposition is that he provided the funding and the sanction for key medical posts, but they were not filled quickly enough by the relevant authorities.
"He (Mr Naughton) was complaining about the posts not being sanctioned -- but I actually sanctioned the posts concerned," the Cork TD insisted.
"Then they went to the Midlands Health Board and they took some time to deliberate over that and then it went to Comhairle na nOispideal and . . . it took a considerable length of time before Comhairle sanctioned the posts in 2004."
"I am not laying blame on anybody -- I am simply giving an explanation. There was a big deal made about a letter today and I am intrigued about how it dominated today when in fact the two reports that were published today had nothing to do with it. They don't even mention it," he said.
Minister Martin said he believes the relevant authorities did not move quickly enough on the Portlaoise cancer care issue.
"The health board did not use the money initially -- the posts were sanctioned -- (but) between the health board and Comhairle they clearly took too long, in my view, to put those posts in place," he declared.
Minister Martin insisted that the Department did take cancer care services very seriously at the time.
He accused the Opposition of trying to exploit the Portlaoise issue for their own political ends.
"It is a classic political charge by Mr Gilmore and the Labour Party. That's what they want to boil every issue down to -- no matter how complex it is. He (Deputy Gilmore) wants to lay the blame at the political doorstep," he insisted.
- Ralph Riegel
