They’ve got it covered to stay in job

BIGWIGS from the Department of Health, the HSE, the office of the Chief Medical Officer and the National Cancer Registry all lined up for a rigorous day of questioning at the PAC yesterday.

But if anyone thought more heads were going to roll following Tony O’brien’s resignation as HSE Director General last week, they were left sorely disappointed.

Chief medical officer Tony Holohan and secretary general at the Department of Health Jim Breslin admitted they knew about what has become one of the worst health scandals in the history of the State over two years ago – yet both remain in their well-paid jobs.

This has angered ordinary women, including victims of the flawed screening programme, and they let their anger be vented outside Leinster House yesterday.

A group of all-women independent councillors joined some victims in protest. They are angry because they don’t see accountability, the same bosses are essentially still in place.

Labour health spokesman Alan Kelly has become the tormentor in chief of the various health officials over the past month and in yesterday’s PAC meeting he said he was becoming exhausted of the “ass covering” right across the health service.

It seems there is nobody more proficient at shielding their own posteriors than Messrs Holohan and Breslin.