The Tánaiste and Minister for Health has told the Dáil she expects to meet Judge Maureen Harding Clark on Monday to discuss a compensation scheme for former patients of the disgraced obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Michael Neary.
Mary Harney said the State will pay compensation to the women who had unjustified hysterectomies at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, and will then seek to recoup the cost.
She indicated that legislation may be needed to pursue the insurers of Dr Michael Neary and the hospital at which he worked.
Medical Practitioners Bill
Earlier, Ms Harney signalled that specialist doctors would be required to undertake regular retraining and assessment under new legislation to be published before the summer.
She was answering Dáil questions arising from the report into the activities of Dr Neary.
She told Green Party leader Trevor Sargent that the Medical Practitioners Bill, to be published before the summer, would require doctors to meet certain standards on an ongoing basis.
Ms Harney said that at the moment doctors who qualify as specialists go on a register and stay there for life unless they are struck off because of fitness to practice issues.
But she said the new legislation would require ongoing training and assessment.
The Tánaiste also said she wanted a greater input from lay people on the Medical Council, which currently consists of a majority of doctors.
Govt labelled a 'crowd of goons'
The Government was described as a 'crowd of goons' this morning during angry exchanges in the Dáil.
Opposition deputies claimed their questions about the health services were not being answered, or were referred to the Health Service Executive, which was very slow in replying.
Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan referred to the Government as a 'crowd of goons' presiding over 'a total abuse of the parliamentary system'.'
Labour's Liz McManus claimed getting information about the health service was 'like the third secret of Fatima'.
The Tánaiste said that under the far-reaching reforms the Government had implemented, the HSE was now responsible for operational matters, but she was more than happy to answer policy questions.
