Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:63 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the dramatic drop in the number of autopsies carried out in recent months. [8701/00]
Written Answers. - Post-Mortem Examinations.
The latest figures obtained from the hospital inpatient inquiry system, in which 61 public hospitals including acute, paediatric and maternity hospitals participate, indicate that a total of 11,039 patients died in hospital in 1998 and a post-mortem examination was performed on 12.9% of these patients. The system reports that 9,518 patients died in hospital in 1999 with a post-mortem examination being performed on 11.6% of these patients. It should be noted that figures for 1999 are provisional and that the hospital inpatient inquiry system does not differentiate between coroner and non-coroner post-mortem examinations.
Although there is a marginal drop in the number of post-mortem examinations performed in 1999 compared to 1998, this does not constitute a dramatic decrease.
In December last year, my Department issued instructions as to the need to obtain informed consent from next of kin in cases where hospitals performed non-coroner post-mortem examinations. There is some indication that, since then, there has been a reduction in the number of these type of post-mortem examinations at some hospitals and in the longer term this would be a cause for concern.
I have already announced an inquiry into issues causing concern in this area and I have no doubt that this inquiry is necessary to allay public concerns and to assist in restoring public confidence in the necessity for such post-mortem examinations.