asked the Minister for Health whether he has inquired into the removal of the wrong remains from St. Vincent's Hospital, Tullamore, on 14th February last; if so, with what result; if he is satisfied with the arrangements generally adopted in hospitals for the indentification of corpses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Identification of Deceased Persons.
59.
I have inquired into the circumstances under which the wrong remains were removed from St. Vincent's Hospital, Tullamore, on 14th February last. The error occurred because the normal procedure in such cases was not followed on the particular occasion in question. Offaly Health Authority has taken steps to ensure that there is no repetition of the occurrence in any of the hospitals under its control.
It is a matter for each health authority to ensure that the arrangements in force in its hospitals for the identification of the remains of deceased persons are adequate. While I have no reason to believe that these arrangements are not adequate and that the present incident was other than an isolated exception, I am, however, taking steps to have the attention of health authorities generally directed to the matter and to advise them to check on their methods of preventing errors in identification.