The Mater hospital is not suing former patient Janette Byrne who wrote a book about her cancer treatment, and no Exchequer funding has been used to deal with the issue, Minister of State for Health Tim O'Malley told the Dáil.
Mr O'Malley told local TD Joe Costello (Labour, Dublin Central) that while the Dublin hospital's solicitors had written to the publishers seeking to have what it sees as "factual inaccuracies and mis-statements" corrected in the next edition, "the department is advised by the HSE that the hospital is not pursuing a legal action against the patient in question".
In the book If It Were Just Cancer, Ms Byrne, founder of Patients Together, refers to a lack of cleanliness at the hospital.
Mr O'Malley said the letter to the publishers was an action "pursued by the Mater in its own right as a voluntary hospital. Neither the department nor the HSE is party to any communications between the hospital and the publishers.
"Any costs arising from the course of action being taken by the hospital will be paid out of its own resources, and not out of any moneys provided by the Exchequer."
Mr Costello said the State should "in no way collude" with the hospital's action.
Ms Byrne had "taken up the cudgel on behalf of the vulnerable", and had done "fantastic service for this country".
