Patients 'could have gone private if told the truth'

TD James Bannon has dismissed claims by the HSE that it was acting in the best of interests of patients, when it scheduled appointments with a doctor at the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar - long after the doctor had left her post.The HSE defended its decision to keep scheduling skin patients for appointments with former Mullingar-based consultant dermatologist, Dr. Marina O'Kane, even though she had resigned her post in March.Officials said that the practice was necessary to ensure that patients remained on a waiting list to be dealt with eventually, after a new dermatologist was appointed.Furthermore, the health authority said that it moved quickly to ensure that more serious cases of skin complaints were accommodated elsewhere in the country."The first Consultant Dermatologist for the Midlands Area was appointed to the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar in September 2007, and proceeded to develop services," a spokesperson for the Midland Area HSE explained this week."Unfortunately, this Consultant Dermatologist decided to accept an offer of employment in a large teaching Hospital in Dublin and resigned her post earlier this year."Since March, the HSE said that it has sought to recruit a temporary replacement "without success, as there were no suitable applications for the post"."In an effort to encourage applications for the post, discussions have taken place with a major teaching hospital in Dublin with a view to expanding the remit of the post," the spokesperson continued."As a result of these discussions, it is intended to advertise the permanent restructured post within the coming weeks."HSE officials said that in the meantime, some of the patients who required urgent treatment have been attended to in Dublin, while arrangements have also been made for children to be treated in the capital.But Deputy Bannon, who had the matter brought to his attention over the past number of weeks, described the practice as "a scam and an outrage", and a "threat to the health" of skin patients in the Midlands."I don't believe they went ahead with any interviews for the position, and despite what they have said, I have been contacted by qualified dermatologists who have said that they are prepared to work for the HSE," he revealed.Mr. Bannon said that he has been contacted by eleven patients over the matter - one of whom had their appointment rescheduled five times, on the pretence that they were being scheduled to eventually see Dr. O'Kane.He said that patients' representatives told him that they had been dealt with in "a very dismissive manner" by the HSE. Furthermore, Deputy Bannon remarked that none of the patients who contacted him had been referred to Dublin for treatment."The HSE should throw up its hands and admit guilt, and own up to the fact that since March, these people have been deprived of a chance to see another specialist," he said."If they knew that there was no consultant available at the hospital, then surely they would have had the chance to go and make appointments with private consultants."Having the chance to make that choice could be life-saving in some cases, given the skin cancer statistics we have in this country."Deputy Bannon said that he has written to the chief executive of the HSE, Professor Brendan Drumm, and the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, about the matter; as we went to press, he had yet to receive a reply."This is gross abuse of patients by the HSE. Patients who are told they need to be seen by a consultant can't be left to wait indefinitely. They need medical help, not bogus appointments," he said."The HSE must immediately apologise. Seriously ill patients are being conned by having appointments made for a non-existent dermatological consultant in the hospital."The consultant left the hospital months ago, yet appointments are still being made."It's a national scandal, and only for the fact that the whole Rody Molloy situation is grabbing the headlines at the moment, this story would have had a much higher profile."But the HSE spokesperson insisted that the appointment system in place at Mullingar Hospital "is such that to maintain a patient on a consultant list for an appointment, it must be scheduled even though there is no consultant available"."As a result a number of patients have had their appointments rescheduled. However, the process will ensure that once the vacant post is filled, those waiting can be guaranteed an appointment," the spokesperson added.However, Deputy Bannon has called on the HSE to compensate "misled" patients by ensuring that they are treated by a dermatologist immediately."This is further evidence that the HSE have been stripping the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar in a cost-cutting exercise, and that patients and hospital staff are being punished for overspends made in the health services over the past number of years," he said."It's high time that a "Friends of Mullingar Hospital" organisation was set up to ensure that people power is brought to bear upon the HSE."