A special meeting of the board of the Health Service Executive is expected to take place later this week to decide who should undertake a review of its management of the recent breast cancer controversy at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise.
The review was ordered by Minister for Health Mary Harney after the HSE failed to inform her about a retrospective study of breast ultrasounds at the hospital which resulted in the recall of 97 patients for surgical review.
The news was made public by the head of the HSE's National Hospital's Office John O'Brien at an Oireachtas health committee meeting last Thursday.
It was the first Ms Harney and HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm had heard of it. It was also news to the 97 patients who had not been informed.
Mr O'Brien also told the meeting that 177 ultrasounds still had to be reviewed. The HSE said this process has now been completed and has resulted in a number of these patients also being recalled for surgical review. It would not say how many were recalled.
Most of the 97 women underwent their surgical review at a special clinic set up in Portlaoise at the weekend. The review team was headed by Prof Arnie Hill of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
The remainder of the women requiring review, if they could be contacted, have been offered a surgical review this evening. Prof Hill said most of the women seen at the clinic on Saturday were reassured. Some had been sent for further scans in Beaumont on Sunday. There was also a small number having further scans in St Vincent's hospital, Dublin, yesterday and today. He said there was no cause for serious concern found in any case.
Meanwhile, the HSE would not say when the report by Dr Ann O'Doherty, following her review of over 3,000 mammograms at Portlaoise, would be published.
The review found nine women with breast cancer were wrongly given the all-clear. The HSE is understood to be seeking legal advice on the report.