Cancer controversy:The consultant who investigated ultrasound records for women in the midlands reported several months ago that some of them needed to meet cancer surgeons, it has emerged.
Portlaoise-based Peter Naughten was commissioned by HSE officials in the midlands in September to review the case notes of the patients who had undergone ultrasound procedures.
He presented the HSE with details of his findings on a regular basis as he went along, but Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney and HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm have both said they were unaware until last week that such a study had been under way.
It is understood that the consultant gave details of the women considered to be in need of surgical review on a regular basis in the course of the assessment rather than collectively at the end.
The Opposition has strongly criticised the HSE over its failure to inform women that they were to be recalled several weeks ago.
Breast radiologist Dr Anne O'Doherty's investigation of mammograms is understood to be finished, though the HSE said it did not yet have a final version.
Highly placed health service sources said last night that the report was likely to be referred for legal assessment before any decision on publication was made.
Meanwhile, the HSE has refused to provide details of the total number of women considered to be in need of further surgical review on foot of the assessment of the case notes of the 568 patients who underwent ultrasound scans for suspected breast cancer in Portlaoise.
On Thursday the HSE said that 97 women would be examined by surgeons after 300 case notes were examined. An examination of 177 more files was to be completed by late last night, but the HSE declined to say yesterday how many of these women will need to be seen by a surgeon.
The spokeswoman said that 82 women were assessed at a special clinic in Portlaoise on Saturday and that others will attend a further clinic to be held tomorrow.
That clinic will assess women from the first group of 97 who could not attend on Saturday as well as those deemed in need of further surgical review from the balance of cases assessed in the ultrasound study.
Acknowledging that the HSE faced serious questions about its administration competence, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív last night insisted, however, that the primary issue in Portlaoise is the quality of medical care that the women were given.
"We should not have had to revisit these [the cases in Portlaoise]. Because in the first place we have to set up a system that if you go and get the various tests that the answer is definitive."
Fine Gael TD James Reilly said the Minister for Health is "blinkered by her ideology" because she supports the development of a €1 billion group of private hospitals."Once you do that profit takes precedence over people," he said.