When is a long-awaited report done being long-awaited?

Jan O’Sullivan T.D. asks about the whereabouts of the overdue reports from the HSE into recent Cancer Scandals.

In particular she mentions

The report of the Ann O’Doherty review of into cases of suspected breast cancer mis-diagnosis in Portlaoise.
Due to be published in November 2007 – delayed

The report by John Fitzgerald into the circumstances surrounding the misdiagnosis of breast cancer in Portlaoise.
Still not complete

The report by HIQA into the circumstances surrounding the mis-diagnosis in the case of Rebecca O’Malley.
Due to be published in December 2007 – delayed

The report by HIQA of a review of pathology services at University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) in the wake of another breast cancer misdiagnosis case where a woman was twice wrongly given a breast cancer all-clear
Still not complete

The internal report by Cork University Hospital into the appointment of pathologist Antoine Geagea, despite the fact that his work was subject to two reviews in Finland
Never published

There’s nothing new in this delayed report thing at all.

If you commission a report in 1999 and it finally gets published in 2007? Is this a record in long-awaited reports? Actually the history of that report’s contents is firmly swept under the carpet by the delay and also the subject matter – we seem to be averse to talking about abuse these days, there’s a whole tone of get over it and don’t get angry and don’t do anything anymore except appoint consultants and ‘await the report’. And it helps if you release the report in December.

Which brings me to another HSE commissioned report to be completed by Conall Devine into what the HSE knew about Dr. Niall McElwee’s conviction of offences in Amsterdam. That report was due by the end of November. Some were told it was imminent, then people were told it was not imminent. The Department of Health who said they wanted the report aren’t really that interested in when it will be published. Maybe the HSE don’t want us to know what they – the HSE – did with the information.

A few months late is nothing in comparison to over 7 years and I do believe that the women in PortLaoise and Cork and other areas who were misdiagnosed deserve their report more that those interested in the McElwee case. But I wonder what’s in the Devine Report that the HSE are trying to bury? The numerous daily searches from all over Ireland and beyond for information on Niall McElwee make me wonder that I am not alone either. Or maybe he’s got a new job somewhere consulting for someone himself.

Update – all posts on this topic on this blog can be found here.