Minister for Health Mary Harney has refused to say whether or not she was aware of the alleged fraudulent activity by Quest Diagnostics, the company which was awarded the multi-million euro smear testing contract despite serious concerns over their track record in the US.
In defence of the contract Ms. Harney said Quest Diagnosis was able to provide a quality assured service at a third of the cost of any Irish company that tendered.
This reminded me of a recent episode of the Simpson’s where Marge berates Homer for hiring a dodgy but cheap plumber. Homer explained that he made his decision based on the company’s attractive logo. Sounds like HSE logic to me.