EDITORIAL

THE political intrigue continues as Martin Cullen’s resignation on health grounds as Minister for Tourism and as a TD throws yet another curve ball at Taoiseach Brian Cowen, as he prepares to restructure his Cabinet. On the one hand, it gives Mr Cowen some room to manoeuvre in terms of promoting new faces to full or junior ministerial rank but choosing the right people to replace Willie O’Dea, Trevor Sargent and now Martin Cullen is the big challenge.
Mr Cowen will either be the hero or villain in constituencies where ministerial appointments are made or overlooked. He won’t be unduly worried about cutting across friendships or leaving some TDs on the government benches bitterly disappointed.
Names of TDs that are considered to be ministerial material are being bandied about but the reality is that the most serious issue facing Brian Cowen is the risk of alienating voters in marginal constituencies.  Of secondary concern will be an effort to maintain a geographical balance among members of Cabinet.
When former Defence Minister Willie O’Dea resigned, Clare’s Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, Tony Killeen, as the next most senior Fianna Fáil TD in the region, was installed as the bookies’ favourite to replace him.
Trevor Sargent’s subsequent resignation as a junior minister from this same department means we will never know what move the Taoiseach was going to make.
It’s generally accepted that Mr Cowen is simply waiting for the St Patrick’s Day ministerial globetrotting to be over so that he can focus on the Cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Cullen’s retirement from politics gives Mr Cowen that extra bit of flexibility to promote Tony Killeen, if he is so inclined. A member of the Dáil since 1992, Mr Killeen is well versed on the needs of the Mid-West and the West of Ireland in general. He understands the complexities of the situation at Shannon Airport, which is the most valuable piece of infrastructure in the entire region. Thousands of jobs are dependent directly and indirectly on the airport so its survival and return to the level of success it enjoyed in the past is in all our interests.
Given the massive slide of the Shannon Region in tourism and industry, the area needs every possible advantage to claw its way back. Tony Killeen at the Cabinet table, would be a step in the right direction. Better still if he is given the tourism portfolio.
With confirmation that Galway is to host the final leg of the 2012 Volvo Ocean Race, an event that is expected to deliver €80 million in tourism revenue to the immediate area, every effort must be made to enable County Clare to maximise spin-off opportunities. The county has plenty to offer by way of additional attractions for those travelling to the festival.
The preparations must include the completion of major road projects and a total revamp of all roads in Clare that have crumbled away due to the ravages of weather conditions. This calls for Government funding and the case can be quite legitimately made for special treatment because of our close proximity to the Volvo Race host city. Support for initiatives by those involved in the tourism industry could be sought on the same basis.
In Cabinet, Mr Killeen could certainly use his local knowledge and experience to help influence Government responses to any approaches.
Even Fianna Fáil opponents should acknowledge that it would be in Clare’s interest to have a representative in Cabinet, as God knows how things will pan out after the next election, whenever that may be.

Tallaght X-ray scandal

THE sheer scale of incompetence in our health system is frightening. We’ve had misdiagnosis of cancer patients, some of whom died, serious concerns about deficiencies in elderly care, childcare and psychiatric services.
What’s shocking about the latest controversy in respect of X-ray reviews at Tallaght hospital in Dublin is the number of people it has impacted upon. It beggars belief that almost 58,000 X-rays taken over a four-year period were never reviewed by a consultant radiologist. The X-rays all relate to adults.
Last April, a GP flagged to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) that there was a problem with unopened orthopaedic referral letters and a backlog of consultant radiology reporting at the hospital. At a June meeting between the hospital’s then CEO and HIQA, it was suggested that the figure for backlog was in the order of 4,000.
The changing of the guard at Tallaght in December, as Professor Kevin Conlon became chief executive-designate, proved critical in the full picture emerging. It was established that a consultant radiologist should have reviewed some 57,921 adult X-rays between 2005 and the end of 2009. However, the majority were reviewed by a non-radiologist, which is just not good enough when Health Minister Mary Harney talks of patients receiving the best possible care.
As a consequence of the error, the hospital has accepted that two cancer patients had a delayed diagnosis. One of these patients died last summer while the other is undergoing treatment at the hospital. The families of both patients have been fully apprised of the situation.
These are the only two of almost 38,000 cases reviewed to date where a diagnosis has been delayed. While it is expected that the backlog will be cleared by May, 23,000 patients and their families will have an anxious wait in the hope of an all-clear from the hospital.
Professor Conlon has acknowledged that the handling of X-rays at Tallaght hospital was totally unacceptable and arose from “systemic and process failures”.
Thankfully, it appears the major flaw in the system at Tallaght has been addressed. Since last September, every patient, who has an X-ray at the hospital now has a report generated from a consultant radiologist and there have been no unreported cases since then. 
This is yet another wake-up call for the Health Service Executive to ensure that hospitals countrywide are being run in accordance with best practice principles in every area of operation.