HOSPITAL COLON TESTS REVIEWED
65 patients called back as doc ‘made mistake’
A REVIEW of colonoscopies involving 65 patients at a hospital has been ordered, it was revealed yesterday.
It follows an examination of 160 procedures carried out at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, between November 2017 and April 2018.
A member of staff had raised concerns about the possibility colonoscopies were not being completed properly.
The doctor involved worked on a sessional basis and has since left the hospital. As a result of this examination, it was recommended 65 patients should be called back for a repeat procedure.
Joint group clinical director of the Ireland East Hospital Group Kevin O’malley apologised for any stress and inconvenience caused by the review.
He said the repeat procedure was a “precautionary measure” and the risk to patients was low.
All patients affected had diagnostic colonoscopies where they had been referred by a GP after suffering certain symptoms, such as abdominal pain or bleeding.
The review does not affect the bowel screening programme. St Columcille’s Hospital
RTE reported that as of
Monday, all but one of the affected patients had been contacted. GPS who referred patients were also informed. A small number of the patients have declined the repeat procedure while others asked for it to be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, a man described his worry yesterday when his wife received HSE’S notice for the repeat examination. Joey, from Carlow, told RTE’S Liveline: “We were out early in the evening and came back to a taxi waiting at the door with all the preparation for Monday.
“We’ve all got stuff going on with our lives, we’ve all got stress but to throw that into the loop and be hanging over you all weekend, it was horrible to watch her worrying about it.”
He slammed the HSE over their handling of the situation and said his partner was ridden with fear as she waited for the procedure to be carried out.