• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

N.L. Health Minister Felt Cancer Test Issue Dealt With in 2007, Inquiry Hears

Posted on: Thursday, 10 April 2008, 12:01 CDT

By Tara Brautigam, THE CANADIAN PRESS

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador's health minister didn't think the matter of botched breast-cancer testing was a pressing issue until court documents emerged outlining the extent of the errors, a public inquiry heard Thursday.

Ross Wiseman said his attention was diverted to other matters in the months between January 2007, when he became health minister, and May 2007 when CBC reported on the court documents.

Wiseman said he believed the matter was previously dealt with and that Health Department officials had it under control.

"If there was an action required, I'm certain they would've brought it to my attention," Wiseman testified.

Earlier, the inquiry heard Wiseman's predecessor testify that he thought the Eastern Health authority would reveal all the information it had about the mistakes at a news conference in December 2006.

But the scope of the mistakes Tom Osborne said he had been briefed on the previous month was not fully explained by Eastern Health at the media briefing.

"Certainly it was my anticipation that that information would be released," Osborne said.

Osborne said by the time he discovered the omission, he had left the health portfolio to become justice minister and didn't ask officials in the government or at Eastern Health about it.

The full extent of the faulty tests didn't emerge until May 2007 when documents relating to a class-action lawsuit against Eastern Health showed more than 300 patients received inaccurate test results.

Osborne concluded his testimony saying he hoped that breast-cancer patients and their relatives get the closure that they're seeking through the inquiry.

"It's certainly my wish for patients and the families of patients that they find the answers they're looking for," he said.

"Perhaps we can ensure that this type of painful event never happens again."

The inquiry is looking into why nearly 400 breast-cancer patients received the wrong results on their breast-cancer tests.

It is also trying to determine whether Eastern Health or any other responsible authorities responded to patients and the public in an appropriate and timely manner.

The inquiry is focusing on hormone-receptor tests, which are used by doctors to determine the course of treatment for breast-cancer patients.

If patients are found to be estrogen-and/or progesterone-positive, they may respond to hormone therapy such as Tamoxifen. If not, they may be given a range of other treatments, or no treatment at all, depending on the characteristics of the patient's cancer.

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category