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Dublin: 19 °C Wednesday 19 June, 2013

Mortality figures at Roscommon hospital disputed

The government has been accused of misleading the public – and the HSE has admitted that HIQA inspectors never visited Roscommon Hospital before compiling their reports.

Roscommon Hospital protest against Government plans to close Roscommon Hospital outside the Irish Dail. Pictured are (LtoR) Councillor Valerie Byrne, John McDermott TD and Luke Ming Flanagan.
Roscommon Hospital protest against Government plans to close Roscommon Hospital outside the Irish Dail. Pictured are (LtoR) Councillor Valerie Byrne, John McDermott TD and Luke Ming Flanagan.
Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

THE GOVERNMENT HAS been accused of misleading the public over patient mortality rates at Roscommon Hospital by a community organisation.

The Minister for Health James Reilly told the Dáil that the average mortality rate at the hospital was four times higher than at other facilities, standing at 21 per cent. However the Roscommon Hospital Action Committee has obtained data that indicates the mortality rate is closer to an average of 5 per cent – a figure in line with most hospitals, RTÉ reports.

The accident and emergency department at Roscommon was closed yesterday morning and replaced with an urgent care unit which will only operate from 8am to 8pm, with patients then required to go to Galway, Sligo and Mayo hospitals instead.

A spokesperson for Minister Reilly said that the decision to downgrade services at Roscommon was based on two HIQA reports which deemed the facility to be unsafe – however, the HSE has today confirmed that the HIQA inspectors never actually visited the hospital before compiling the reports, the Irish Examiner reports.

Instead, HIQA inspectors made a report on the hospital from the appendix on the report into Mallow Hospital.

Read: Tánaiste also made pledge to maintain services at Roscommon >

Read: FG faces councillor revolt as Roscommon A&E shuts down >

Read: Enda Kenny ‘regrets confusion’ over hospital election promises >

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Comments (13 Comments)

  • Even if we ignore the increasing likelihood that the HIQA report was flawed, if you were the Taoiseach and you had promised to defend A&E services in Roscommon, wouldn’t your approach be to fix the problems in the hospital rather than closing the hospital – at least if your promise was meant seriously?

    Now, perhaps the hospital should be closed…that’s not the point. The point is whether or not people should have taken Enda Kenny at his word as a candidate, or if they should take it now as Taoiseach. Is this Enda’s “Willie O’Dea” moment?

    Reply
  • Astonising!
    The hole being dug, seems to be getting deeper and deeper.

    Reply
  • Fuck sake. Why do they keep lying?

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  • the lies are outrageous! Typical RTE not reporting that HIQA never visited the hospital, which seems like a pretty major revelation to me given the whole basis of the government’s argument is the HIQA report and the mortality statistics have also proven to be lies.

    Reply
  • What a farce.

    Reply
  • mick 12/07/11 #

    I’m loosing confidence with this government fairly fast!!

    Reply
  • It is a disgrace to suggest such high mortality rates when this is a lie….Such an insult to the staff working at the hospital, a pretty serious insult in fact. This is quite aside from the other lie….MR Kennys lie re election promises….Different party but same crap!!!

    Reply
  • What a feckless bunch of ignorant arrogant idiots the government are. As each day passes they are becoming more and more out of touch with the electorate. Just trying new ways of taking more from the people and giving us back bullshit about economic uncertainty. If the economy was so fecked then howcome most major corporations throughout the planet our reporting record profits and also most major banks are near record profits levels while the euro is being bullied by the dollar and the Chinese and emerging economies. We are expected to swallow the same bullshit about current economic circumstance. The cutting of services in Roscommon is just the beginning of the end for a public health system that started to be eroded by Michael Martin then harney now o Reilly. Privatisation is the best thing to line the governments pockets while fecking the people out of a basic right. If you have money you will live longer if you don’t then die on a trolley.

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  • Dr Reilly your position is untenable. You cannot stand with confidence when decisions like this are made by you or your department. This is a million times worse than Inda telling porkies during an election campaign (let the first politician who hasn’t lied in an election campaign step forward).
    This is people’s lives you are playing with – feck’n paper pushers – didn’t even visit the hospital unbelievable – but if the hospital was in New York or Sydney ye would all be queuing up for a visit.

    Reply
  • mr g 13/07/11 #

    Enda sort it out. Someone needs to get the boot for this

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  • The other night I asked is Enda a lying scumbag or a lying toe rag, well now we know he is definitely a LIAR and obviously so is the minister for Health

    Reply
  • fianna fail wouldn’t hold a candle to this lot …….they are in a place where they are not able to recognise lies from truth

    Reply

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