Fine Gael Health Spokesperson, Dr James Reilly TD, today (Tuesday) expressed his sympathy for two patients, one of whom has died and one of whom is undergoing cancer treatment, who suffered delayed diagnosis at Tallaght Hospital because X-rays were not reviewed by a consultant radiologist. Dr Reilly said that while the 58,000 affected X-rays are in the process of being reviewed, it must be explained how this was allowed to happen.

“The sheer volume and period of time during which X-rays were not reviewed by a consultant radiologist is astounding. It is astonishing to think that from 2005 until just a few months ago 58,000 X-rays were handled in this way. These were diagnostic tests for illnesses like cancer, heart conditions and orthopaedic problems. While almost 35,000 have been reviewed and reported on, 23,000 remain to be reviewed. A number of important questions have to be answered:

First and foremost, how did this happen?
If the CEO of the Hospital found out about the problem and informed the HSE in mid-December, why are we only finding out about it now?
When was the Minister for Health made aware of the problem?
What system has the hospital put in place for informing affected patients?

“The volume of tests involved and the period of time involved suggest a severe system failure and it is deeply disturbing that there was no check which picked up on this unacceptable practice over four years. Following on from other delayed diagnoses in recent years citing systemic failures, it is vital that full information on this affair is made available so that life-saving lessons can be learned.

“We must now receive assurance from HIQA that this appalling situation does not exist in any other hospital in this country.”