Madam, - Prof Brendan Drumm, head of the Health Service Executive, told the Dáil Health Committee that he wouldn't give the figures for MRSA-related deaths as they would frighten people (The Irish Times, March 31st). In fact, he would be unable to give these figures, or those for deaths related to any other hospital-acquired infection.
The reason is that even if MRSA were included by a doctor on a death certificate - which we know is not generally the case - there is no means of collecting such data. This means that we are can't compare the situation in Ireland with that in any other country, and also that we are unable to track any improvement or deterioration in the figures, as is done routinely elsewhere. - Yours, etc,
TERESA GRAHAM, MRSA and Families, Meadowbrook, Tramore, Co Waterford.
Madam, - A fine April Fool's joke, one day early. This was my first thought on reading the headline of your report, "Disclosing MRSA deaths 'might scare people'". My laughter soon turned to dismay as I tried to digest the outrageous statements made by HSE chief Brendan Drumm.
Making the pompous comment that "it would be almost unfair" to release MRSA figures smacks of 1950s "Big Brother" medicine, with the attitude that the public simply didn't need to know the facts - just trust the doctor, as all is in hand. But the Irish public are not living in the 1950s, and full information disclosure, together with an intelligent and transparent debate on infection control, may actually increase public confidence in the recovery of the Irish health system, and help those grieving for loved ones who caught MRSA. This menace is unlikely ever to go away, but at best it can be brought under control. - Yours, etc,
EAMONN SULLIVAN, Head of Nursing GI/Vascular Surgery, Guy's & St Thomas's Hospital, London.
Madam, - So Prof Brendan Drumm does not want us to know how many hospital patients are dying from MRSA and which hospitals have the highest MRSA mortality rates, because it might frighten us? Has he forgotten that fright is a vital defensive instinct, which keeps millions of people and other animals alive every day? Personally, if I knew which hospital had the most MRSA deaths, fright might well save my life as I would seek to go elsewhere. Prof Drumm should stop patronising us.
- Yours, etc,
TONY ALLWRIGHT, Killiney, Co Dublin