The president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, Dr Donal O’Hanlon, has expressed alarm at comments by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar about concerns raised in relation to mortuary facilities in University Hospital Waterford.
Mr Varadkar had told reporters in Waterford on Tuesday that while he didn’t know if the consultants’ claims were “true or not . . . it doesn’t seem that there’s any evidence to support them and certainly those who made them haven’t put forward any evidence to support them”.
The stark conditions were outlined by four consultant pathologists in a letter to Gerry O’Dwyer, chief executive of the South – South West Hospital Group in Cork last October.
The letter warned that the mortuary lacks sufficient refrigeration and the situation is so serious that some bodies simply decompose, causing “almost unspeakable” distress to families.
Dr O’Hanlon told RTE radio’s Morning Ireland today that hospital staff need to be able to voice their concerns. It was important that consultants and other health care staff be able to advocate for patients so their care can be improved, he said.
He said that University Hospital Waterford had said it was aware of the challenges and there had been recognition of the problems when temporary refrigeration was installed.
“We ought to be able to encourage people to report problems. I am a little alarmed because they should be encouraged to highlight problems so they can be addressed.
“The best health systems run on a culture of openness and accountability. Staff need to be encouraged to highlight issues.
“The gist of what he’s (the Taoiseach) saying is that there’s no evidence. It’s early stages to say that. There hasn’t been full engagement or a review.
“These consultants are there day in, day out for years.
“The next step is for the hospital to have a full review of the contents of the (consultants’) letter and to follow up.”
