Deny, dismiss, delay, then defend: it’s how HSE works

THE HSE has form when it comes to denying and dismissing concerns of chronically ill patients who, too often in the culture of the health service, are lowest in its priorities. This culture was demonstrated again by the CervicalCheck cover-up scandal exposed by the courage of Vicky Phelan. She was dragged into the High Court when she sued the HSE and the US laboratory contracted to analyse cervical smears, and even subjected to a demand for complete confidentiality as a condition of any settlement.

To Vicky Phelan, who wanted to expose CervicalCheck’s failure to inform patients of smear-test inaccuracies, this was completely unacceptable.

Tony O’Brien has presided over this sort of ‘gagging’ culture in the HSE, which saw its CervicalCheck agency take it to the limit. CervicalCheck not only refused to pass on results of medical tests to patients, it even tried to conspire with medics to ensure that the families of deceased relatives would not be told of the possibility their loved ones had missed the opportunity of early diagnosis.

To plead, as Mr O’Brien has done, that the scandal came as a ‘personal blow’ because he had begun his ‘public service career’ in the BreastCheck agency, elicited disbelief.

Only three months ago, the true nature of the HSE and its toxic culture was exposed in the Versatis scandal – where the HSE’s actions were ably assisted by Government politicians now running a mile from the HSE when they realised the game was up.

Back in February, it emerged, through the stories of chronically ill patients, that the HSE, without any consultation with family GPs or pain-management consultants, had withdrawn Versatis pain relief patches from 90% of medical-card holders.

Firstly, the HSE staff member who made the decision said it was to save money. Figures of €20m to €40m worth of savings were mentioned, with hints that this money would go toward tackling the A&E trolley crisis.

Regardless of the figure, it is sure to be a minute fraction of the cost to the taxpayer of resolving and compensating for the CervicalCheck cover-up.

Then Leo Varadkar, we presume on the advice of the HSE, told the Dáil that the Versatis decision had been made for ‘patient safety’ reasons – an argument met with disbelief by GPs and pain management consultants.

They pointed out that the alternatives for those in chronic pain were opioids, the ingestion of which have numerous horrific side effects.

The HSE said that side effects from Versatis patches applied externally to a location of the pain were minimal.

But when the temperature in the debate rose, a bureaucrat then threw in risks of cancer as a reason for the cut – without offering any credible evidence.

Then Tony O’Brien marched into the Houses of the Oireachtas, and in the style of ‘defend, dismiss and deny’, said the following: ‘There is no withdrawal of cover, no withdrawal of reimbursement.’

So in February, the director general of the HSE brazenly told our legislators that a massive cutback he had made had not actually happened! Thousands of poorer people suffering unbearable pain were callously dismissed by the man whose mission it is to look after them – and he is royally rewarded for it and will be to his dying day with a golden pension and payoff.

Not a day goes by when I do not hear another story of sufferers enduring life-limiting pain as a result of this cut, presided over – and denied by – O’Brien. The CervicalCheck scandal should not come as surprise. Deny, dismiss, delay and defend the indefensible is in the DNA of the HSE.