Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Health Correspondent

Paul Cullen is Health Correspondent with The Irish Times. A reporter with many interests but few obsessions, he has previously covered politics, consumer affairs, the developing world and education. He also (mis)spent some years reporting from the planning tribunal and is the author of With a Little Help from my Friends, a history of political corruption. Other books dealt with refugees and asylum-seekers in Ireland and Dublin.

Plan to transfer care of breast cancer survivors to GPs attracts the ire of the IMO

HSE director designate Tony O’Brien (near side) alongside Minister for Health James Reilly. Earlier this year, Mr O’Brien suggested a “significant streamlining” of the often embarrassing information it publishes on a monthly basis about waiting lists and financial overruns in the health service. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
HSE sought to omit details on performance

Top-level management accused of trying ‘to disguise full facts’ about level of crisis

Private patients occupying public beds will be charged up to €1,122 a night in place of the existing charge of €75, under legislation published by the Department of Health yesterday.
Health cover charges to rise by 30%, insurers claim

Government planning to charge private patients the full cost of using public hospital beds

Commonly used generics, which are copies of branded drugs which have come off patent, cost more in Ireland than in any of the other nine European countries with which Ireland is traditionally bracketed for price purposes, the study by US healthcare consultants shows.
Generic drug prices three times dearer here

Survey reveals Irish generic medicine prices are highest of 10 European countries

Dr Philip Crowley said Ms Halappanavar’s death from sepsis was a “rare occurrence”, and it was clear from the HSE report that “staff did not recognise what was happening”.
HSE promises full Savita Halappanavar follow-up

Hospital says staffing levels normal in Galway hospital at time

Staffing levels were ‘normal’ and ‘adequate’ on the wards at Galway University Hospital caring for Savita Halappanavar in the days before her death, the HSE’s national director for quality and patient safety has said.
Medical practitioners to receive sepsis training following Savita report findings

HSE director says hospital had confirmed the wards caring for her had been adequately staffed

Senator Ronan Mullen asserted that last month’s Oireachtas health committee hearings on the abortion issue were run like an “express train”. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons
Legislation is the same in its essence as outline in Heads of Bill published in April

Party leaders calculate that measure will be acceptable to sufficient numbers of deputies

More women could die in Irish hospitals in a manner similar to Savita Halappanavar unless legal clarity is provided for doctors on when they can intervene to terminate a pregnancy, the HSE report into her death has warned.
Savita Halappanavar report: Tragic. Devastating.

Doctors need to know when they can intervene

Sabaratnam Arulkatumaran (left), Chairperson, and Dr Philip Crowler, National Director for Quality and Patient Safety, at the publication of the HSE clinical review report into the death of Savita Halappanavar on Thursday. Photograph: Eric Luke
Serious gaps remain in what we know about operations in the hospital

The HSE has still not answered key questions at the heart of this case

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