Opposition parties called for the Minister of Health's resignation after it emerged today that 97 women who attended a Portlaoise hospital with breast-cancer fears are to be recalled for a review over concerns about their clinical notes.
Fine Gael said the fact that this news was revealed to the women only after a question was put to the HSE at an Oireachtas Health Committee was "appalling".
The party's spokesman on health, Dr James Reilly, said that the HSE had three months to inform women of the need for a surgical review but failed to do so.
He said: "Worse than that, the women that are now becoming aware of this awful news had to hear it through the media after the Health Committee meeting this morning".
Dr Reilly also accused Minister Harney of no longer being in control of her brief. "The Minister was alerted to the problems in this area two-and-a-half years ago and failed to take control of the problem and simply passed the buck.
"The Minister should now resign and a full independent enquiry of this whole matter should take place," he added.
Labour spokeswoman on health Jan O'Sullivan said the failures in Portlaoise hospital were more shocking as each day passes and had turned into one of the "most alarming failures in our health policy in recent times".
Ms O'Sullivan said the fact that the Dáil Health Committee was told about the problem in Portlaoise before the women themselves is "mind-boggling".
"Hearing this news over the airwaves, will cause immense worry and distress to all of the 568 women who underwent ultrasounds at the hospital, even those who have nothing to worry about, and reveals a shocking insensitivity on the part of the HSE," Ms O'Sullivan said.
She added that the "buck stops" with Ms Harney who "cannot simply be allowed to pass the blame to the HSE".