I did not fail my patients, says Portlaoise radiologist

The consultant radiologist at the centre of the Midlands Regional Hospital breast-screening controversy last night said she did not fail in her duty of care to patients.

Making her first public statement on the matter, Dr Visa Moodley said she was distressed by reports saying she was responsible for failing to identify seven cases of cancer after mammography examinations at the hospital.

She told RTÉ News she always acted in the best interests of her patients.

Dr Moodley said she was confident a review of her reports on the mammograms would show she did not fail in her duty of care to the women involved.

She said she was put on administrative leave from the hospital because of complaints from some nursing staff. Staff claimed she was requesting extra tests for too many patients who had undergone mammography examinations in Portlaoise. "In other words, because I was regarded as being over-cautious."

She said she had asked the HSE for copies of the mammograms relating to the seven patients and other images. She has been refused this material pending the investigation being conducted.

Dr Moodley said she was forced to go public because of the ongoing damage to her reputation, also saying she was anxious "not to add further to the distress of patients at this difficult time".

Meanwhile members of the HSE South's regional health forum yesterday called on the Minister for Health to provide additional funding to cover the cost over-runs in the area to ensure there was no impact on services.

Management of the HSE says the over-spend of over €24 million occurred due to an increase in the provision of patient services which meant the budget for 2007 was spent by September.

Members of the regional health forum agreed to ask the Minister to provide them with the funding necessary to cover the shortfall.

Cllr Tim Lombard said: "I believe it is urgent that this money is provided. The money was spent due to the high use of the service, and this has to be expected with an ageing population. To be left with no money because of this is ridiculous."

Meanwhile the chairwoman of the Sligo Cancer Support Group has accused the HSE of using the misdiagnosis of eight women in Portlaoise to "scaremonger" and bolster their case for the closure of local services. Mary Shivnan said she found it "ironic" that this tragedy for patients of the Midlands Regional Hospital was getting so much attention.