The Health Service Executive (HSE) has requested an independent inquiry into the case of a Co Tipperary woman who was mistakenly given the all-clear for breast cancer.
Prof Brendan Drumm, CEO of the HSE, said in a statement he had invited the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to investigate the care given to Rebecca O'Malley.
Prof Brendan Drumm, CEO of the HSE
Ms O'Malley underwent a fine needle biopsy at Midwestern Regional Hospital, Limerick, in March 2005 to test for suspected breast cancer.
The sample was sent to a cytology laboratory in Cork University Hospital and was diagnosed as normal. However, 14 months later, Ms O'Malley's GP recommended that she have a second biopsy, and the test showed she did have cancer.
The HSE has requested that the HIQA, which is an independent body, investigate how the error in Ms O'Malley's diagnosis occurred, how the HSE responded when it became aware of concerns in relation to Ms O'Malley's care and how similar errors can be prevented in the future.
"While the HSE, like health care systems across the world, seeks to take every possible course of action to minimise the risks for patients, unfortunately errors do occur. I want to again apologise to Ms O'Malley for the error in relation to her diagnosis," Prof Drumm said.
"After reviewing the sequence of events relating to Ms O'Malley's care, an independent investigation is a sensible course of action."