Doherty Report

On November 7th 2007 the Secretary General of the Department of Health and Children, Michael Scanlon, on behalf of his Minister, wrote to Professor Brendan Drumm, CEO requesting an urgent Report on the circumstances which led to the decisions by the HSE to:1) Suspend the breast radiology service2) Place the consultant radiologist on administrative leave and3) Initiate a clinical review of breast cancer services in the period November 2003 to August 2007 at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. Download document here

Health Protection Inequalities on the island of Ireland: An introductory paper

Public health services in Ireland, North and South, are committed to addressing inequalities in health on the island of Ireland. This report, prepared by Dr Lorraine Doherty, Assistant Director of Public Health (Health Protection), Public Health Agency NI for the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), specifically highlights health inequalities in relation to infectious diseases and other areas of health protection such as chemical hazards and environmental disruption. Infectious diseases disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in society. These vulnerable groups bear the highest burden of disease in relation to infectious diseases. The report also highlights the impact of climate change on health protection and the impacts for water, food and vector borne diseases. The aim of this report is to enable a programme of work to begin to document health protection inequalities and develop action plans for addressing them on an all island basis.