Cancer patients seek meeting with minister over key hospital role
Sarcoma group hits Appointment delay out at hiring of medic ‘risks lives of patients’
PATIENTS have demanded an urgent meeting with the Health Minister over the appointment of a doctor at a Dublin hospital.
Sarcoma Ireland are furious an internationally-renowned cancer expert was not selected for a job in St Vincent’s after a recent recruitment campaign.
Instead the action group claims the facility recruited a less-experienced doctor who cannot take up the position for another year.
It means scores of patients with a rare form of cancer do not have an oncologist specialising in the condition to look after them, protesters told the Irish Sunday Mirror a fortnight ago.
The Sarcoma Ireland committee said in a letter to hospital chief Prof Keane: “We are incensed by this decision and the sheer contempt it displays for patient well-being.
“This is a matter of life and death for sarcoma patients, current and future. Nine of our members have died in as many months.”
Now the committee has written to Simon Harris demanding an immediate meeting. They claim calls to launch an independent review of the recruitment has been ignored.
The group said: “We are very concerned and disappointed that to date we have not received a response. You seem to be ignoring... a series of letters.
“It only points out to us that the care and wellbeing of sarcoma patients both present and future is not a priority on your agenda let alone on it.”
Other patients lashed out at the decision not to appoint sarcoma expert Dr Alexia Bertuzzi who had been working at the hospital on a temporary contract for three years. She was one of two oncologists who applied for the senior position after what protesters claim was an “ineffectual” advertising campaign which did not search abroad. Sarcoma Ireland wanted Dr Bertuzzi – or someone of equal experience – to get the permanent job because of her expertise. Now they are demanding to know on what grounds the appointment was made. A woman called Caragh wrote on Facebook: “Why train someone where there is an excellent specialist who wants the job and would start right away? Alexia saved my husband’s life. This is unbelievable, messing with people’s lives like this. It really is life and death situations here.” A spokeswoman for the hospital said they were satisfied with the recruitment process which was consistent with HSE policy. She added: “The interview panel conducted its affairs in a fair and transparent manner. “We look forward to our new consultant joining our team here at SVUH.”