2007: The Women’s Health Care Year in Review
Buried Under: Irish Healthcare | Added by Sabrina Dent
2007 marked a catastrophic year for women’s health care in Ireland:
- February 2007: A a consultant microbiologist at the Mater Hospital tells an inquest that MRSA is “endemic” in every hospital in Ireland.
- April 2007: A redress scheme is announced following the release of the Lourdes Inquirey Report into Michael Neary, who was found guilty of performing 129 un-needed hysterectomies on women at Drogheda between 1974 and 1998.
- November 2007: More than 100 women are ultimately recalled for screening when results of prior tests, some almost two years old, are found to have been improperly reviewed. Nine women previously given the all-clear are subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer.
- December 2007: News headline claims that the Breastcheck national screening program for women 50 - 64 has completed nationwide rollout comes as a surprise to women in Donegal, who have no access to this service and are still waiting for screening appointments.
- December 2007: The HSE’s costs to settle legal cases this year reaches €80 million including payments made in relation to the Lourdes Redress Board.
And just to start the year off on the right foot: January 1st 2008 saw the release of a report revealing some patients have been waiting for eight years to see a consultant in a hospital outpatient clinic.