A whistleblowers' charter for the health service is a possibility that should be examined, the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.
Prof Brendan Drumm said such a charter should be considered to protect those who voice concerns in a "hierarchical system" such as the health service.
He made the comments following last month's report on the unnecessary caesarean hysterectomies in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The removal of wombs by former obstetrician Michael Neary was initially brought to the attention of the HSE by two junior midwives.
Prof Drumm was talking to reporters last night following the inaugural meeting of the North East regional forum on the health service. It was the first time he has commented on the Neary case.
He called Judge Maureen Harding Clarke's report "damning" and said the medical profession could learn much from its conclusions.
Reacting to calls for the roles of some senior midwives in the hospital at the time to be examined by An Bord Altranais, Prof Drumm said that when serious questions arise, then regulatory bodies should be free to examine them.
But he warned that such investigations should not be turned into witch-hunts.