Category: Health/HSE

A caller to Today with Pat Kenny asked if Dr. Neary was ever prosecuted for the horrors he committed on women in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

Of course Dr. Neary was never prosecuted, that sort of thing doesn’t happen in Ireland. Instead, he was given a €70,000 pension and sent on his way.

What do those women expect in a corrupt state – accountability, justice?

Actor and broadcaster Joe Taylor was on the Marian Finucane Show last Saturday talking about his most memorable radio and television moments.

Here’s an edited account of what he had to say about the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes.

The Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes was set up in the 1930s with the intention of providing Irish hospitals with funds to develop proper facilities. The whole set up was very impressive and was operated under the watchful eye of the Garda Commissioner

When I discovered actually what was taking place behind the scenes at the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes I thought ‘oh my god, were we ever suckered into a feeling of delusion.

It was Mark Twain who said you can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. The sweeps fooled all of the people for practically all of the time – for 57 years.

If a quarter of the money that was raised through the sale of tickets illegally in America and Canada, because gambling was banned in both these countries, Prof Drumm and Mary Harney would be carried around the country today for having the best hospital service in the entire world.

But the money sort of disappeared; it was taken up in administration and so on. At one stage the mafia in the late 30s tried to muscle in on the Sweepstakes in America and the Sweeps sent over a couple of IRA men and also they had the ear of American cops and so the Mafia backed down and there was no more interference.

Then in 1947 the Mexican government decided they would try to sell tickets into America. The Mexicans were delighted when the Irish offered to supply them with consultants to help them but soon realised that they were being ripped off when all the money started to go back to Ireland.

So, let’s just review the main points.

1930s Ireland and the health services were of a Third World standard. A scheme to generate funds was set up by the Government and overseen by the number one policeman in the country. The scheme was corrupt from day one and everybody in power knew about it but did nothing.

When another corrupt organisation tried to take some of the action they were threatened with violence. When another country tried to set up the same scam they were ripped off by the Irish.

Very little money was actually spent on health services so Irish citizens continued to suffer and die needlessly because of greed and corruption.

Ireland still has a Third World health service; people are still suffering and dying because of incompetence and corruption and practically all of the people are still allowing themselves to be fooled.

So, what’s new?

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.

It’s difficult to keep track but I think the Rebecca O’Malley report was the fourth such report published in recent times concerning gross incompetence in the HSE and I think there’s another three in the pipeline.

These investigations/reports are now an integral part of the Irish ‘health’ system. We are constantly assured after each report that change is on the way, that from now on there will be accountability and transparency, that from now on patients will come first blah blah blah.

The honesty of the HSE bureaucrats, the honesty of Prof. Drumm, the honesty of Minister for health, Mary Harney should be judged by their actions rather than their empty promises.

Here’s how these low grade public servants reacted to the latest cancer misdiagnosis scandal in Dundalk, Drogheda and Navan (Six One News, 1st item).

They have refused to say how many patients are involved.
They have refused to say what hospitals are involved.
They have refused to say what year the misdiagnosis’s occurred.
They have refused to say when they became aware of the problem.
They have refused to say what the exact nature of the problem is.
They have refused (bizarrely) to say why they are refusing to say all of the above.

The consequence of this Soviet style secrecy is deep worry for thousands of Irish citizens who have had any treatment for any cancer over the last number of years.

Transparency and accountability anybody?

Rebecca O’Malley was on Today with Pat Kenny last Friday giving her reaction to the publication of the HIQA report into her cancer misdiagnosis (See here for previous post).

At the core of this case lies the life threatening monster that is the Health Service Executive (HSE). This is a monster that has put patient’s lives at risk in order to protect its own rotten system.

When Rebecca O’Malley went to the HSE expressing her concerns about other women who may have been misdiagnosed she was urged not to go public as it might cause panic.

She agreed on condition that an independent investigation be initiated. The HSE agreed but they were lying, nothing was done.

Eventually, O’Malley was forced, by the life endangering incompetence of the HSE, to personally assume responsibility for the lives of all the women who may have been misdiagnosed, she had to go public to force the HSE into action.

The man in charge of the HSE, Prof. Drumm said that Ms. O’Malley had been ‘let down’.

Let down??? The woman had been misdiagnosed and didn’t find out until 14 months later. Had to have a mastectomy, suffered gruelling chemotherapy and eventually had to have another operation because the cancer had spread.

When she asked the HSE to warn other women of the danger they may be in she was put under pressure to keep her mouth shut. When she asked for an investigation, they lied to her.

Let’s be absolutely clear about what happened here – A person or persons within the HSE consciously decided that it was preferable to risk the lives of an unknown number of women rather than admit to incompetence. These people are still there, still making decisions at the heart of the HSE monster.

And all Prof Drumm, this fool of a man, could say was that she was ‘let down’.

No wonder Rebecca O’Malley described his comments as a grotesque example of spin.