A locum consultant surgeon who was appointed to Cavan General Hospital in an attempt to get surgical services back to normal after a series of controversies has resigned after just three days.
The Irish Times has learned that the surgeon, who began work after Easter, handed in his notice three days later to take up another job.
The development comes as a further blow to the hospital's surgery department and the North Eastern Health Board following the suspension of two of the unit's consultant surgeons over interpersonal difficulties last August and the death in February of nine-year-old Cootehill girl Frances Sheridan three weeks after an appendix operation at the hospital.
A post-mortem found she died as a result of complications of recent surgery. Gardaí have said they will prepare a file for the DPP.
Following her death, doctors in the north-east region expressed concern about the lack of continuity of care that could be provided to patients attending the surgery unit after the suspension of two of its three permanent surgeons, Dr William Joyce and Dr Pawan Rajpal. This was because their jobs were being covered by locums who were coming and going. The health board said it would appoint locums on long-term contracts. These contracts would last six months. It appointed three such locums, one of whom has now departed within days of taking up his post. A source close to the hospital said yesterday: "The new locum consultant surgeon has resigned after three days. The situation is not good."
The health board, which last month published the findings of an investigation into some 15 adverse clinical incidents that occurred at the hospital's surgery unit between September and December 2003, confirmed last night that one of its new locums had departed.
"He left after three days to take up a post in Wexford," a spokeswoman said.
She said this was not unusual as it was the nature of locum posts that those in them came and went. She said a panel had been created after recent interviews and another candidate would now be offered the job.
Last month the health board said that following the appointment of the surgeon who has now left, a full range of elective and emergency surgery, apart from some major surgery, could be delivered in Cavan. That aspiration will now have to be put on hold for a further period.