Fine Gael has called on the HSE to speed up the waiting time for reviews of 6,000 Chest X-rays and 70 CT scans in the northeast.
The review entails all chest X-rays and CT scans reported on by a locum consultant radiologist who worked in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, between August 2006 and August 2007.
It was commissioned following the discovery that lung cancer in four patients was not picked up by the radiologist when he reported on their chest X-rays. The four patients have since died.
The Irish Timesrevealed today that health service management was warned more than seven years ago about a shortage of full-time radiologists in the northeast and that this meant a substantial amount of work had to be carried out by locums
A letter to management of the Louth/Meath Hospital Group in November 2001 from a local doctor warned that the number of full-time radiologists in Drogheda was "wholly inadequate" for the workload and that "mistakes will be made".
Speaking this afternoon, Louth Fine Gael TD, Fergus O'Dowd said there was "deep concern" among patients over having to wait two months for a new test.
"The Government and the Health Board/HSE were warned in a letter in November 2001 that there would be mistakes in the reading of x-rays if the prevailing situation in radiology in the area was allowed to continue," said Mr O'Dowd, who obtained the letter from the local doctor.
"The HSE needs to address concerns in the North-East and reduce the waiting times for patients who are facing an anxious wait," he added.
Mr O'Dowd claimed today that two more misdiagnoses have been confirmed. However, the HSE refused to confirm or deny the allegation and said that it would make no further public comment on the issue until the reviews have been completed.
A statement from the HSE said: "While we appreciate that information regarding further cases may come into the public domain as we communicate with families throughout this process the HSE will not report any further information on specific details of the reviews until the entire review process has concluded."
