Transplant horror can’t be allowed to happen again

You cannot even begin to imagine the anguish being suffered by Pauline Scott and her husband Gordon.

Pauline had been given hope by a kidney transplant that was supposed to transform her life.

Instead, that very organ will now end up killing her.

It is a tragedy of the most awful kind. And she is not the only victim.

Another patient, a man from Newcastle who received an infected liver from the same donor as Pauline, has already lost his life.

How many more people are affected? Well, that we still do not know.

The authorities involved have rightly acknowledged the horror of the situation but say they were not negligent; that they did the required testing.

We are sure everyone understands the pressures and difficulties when dealing with transplants.

On one hand you may have a family who will be deciding whether to donate the organs of a loved one who is on the very cusp of death.

It’s highly likely the potential donor will be a young person struck down in the prime of their life.

And on the other hand you have a patient, who has probably suffered years of ill health, waiting for an organ that could give them the gift of life.

Therefore, it is absolutely critical that everyone involved in this challenging process has full confidence in the system.

That is why it is right that the Health Minister Jeane Freeman has launched an investigation into Pauline’s case.

All the circumstances need to be thoroughly scrutinised.

This is not simply to apportion blame but to identify if any lessons, no matter how small, can be learned to avoid similar cases in the future.