I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue with the Minister for Health. It is with depressing regularity that I raise issues relating to the reporting and investigation of allegations of child sexual abuse. This matter is dealt with not only by the Minister's Department but also by the Department of Justice. In the recent past church authorities have had to confront this problem in a most painful and public fashion. Despite the recommendations of the Kilkenny incest inquiry report and a seemingly endless litany of revelations which highlight inadequate State procedures to deal with this criminal activity, there is much unfinished business in terms of the responsibility of civil authorities in this whole affair.
This evening I specifically ask the Minister to give whatever information he has about the manner in which Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda dealt with allegations of sexual abuse of a patient by a hospital consultant. Local general practitioners have stated that they are still in the dark, as are many people, about procedures used in the course of an internal inquiry by the hospital into the allegations of sexual abuse. There have been reports that the hospital board closed the file following a four month internal inquiry without having interviewed the original complainant. What kind of inquiry would do such a thing? Is it proper that the hospital board be charged with carrying out such an inquiry given the gravity of the allegations?
It is stated that the board relied on a contractual technicality which requires an allegation to be reported within six weeks of its occurrence. That is an absurdity when dealing with such a fundamental breach of the doctor-patient relationship. Will the Minister confirm that it was only because of the intervention of the health board that the consultant in question retired? I need many answers to this matter which do not all relate to the Minister's portfolio.
When was the health board first made aware of these allegations? Was it in April 1995 when the victim informed the director of community care of the North-Eastern Health Board that he had been abused in 1975 by the consultant? Did the health board alert the Medical Council, the Garda and the hospital on hearing of the allegation? Is the Minister aware that a formal complaint was made to the Garda in this matter almost a year previously, on 16 June 1994? Did the Garda report the allegation to the health board given that the complaints related to assaults allegedly occurring in the course of the consultant's professional duties in the hospital? Is it the case that ten months elapsed, with a Garda investigation ongoing, without any formal contact between the Garda and the health board in this matter? When was the Minister informed of these matters and what action did he take? Has he made contact with the Medical Council? Has he requested a full report from the health board? Is the health board aware of other such allegations of abuse in the hospital? Were other inquiries, internal or otherwise, initiated against this consultant in the past?
It is important that the Minister clarifies in so far as he can what he proposes to do to ensure procedures are in place in each hospital to deal expeditiously and in a uniform way with allegations by patients against hospital staff. Such clearly understood procedures are important for staff as well as patients. Does the Minister agree that to treat such a criminal allegation in the same way as would be appropriate for a disciplinary or personnel matter is highly unsatisfactory? It appears the hospital in question dealt with this entire matter by way of the disciplinary and complaints procedures under the consultant's contract. Is it fair to assume that this is the only procedure currently available to hospital boards faced with similar circumstances? I look forward to the Minister's response.
