Statement by the Health Division

With reference to the press release issued out by the National Parents' Society for Persons with Disability:

It is unfortunate that the National Parents' Society for Persons with Disability chose to issue a blanket statement which implies that departments within St. Luke's Hospital are positively unhelpful and maintain a negative attitude when it comes to providing families with medical information. The Health Division would like to inform the public that as a clinical departmental policy, parents who ask for medical details of their child's condition are provided with the information they require (regardless of the reasons behind their request). In practice, this generally amounts to a written clinical summary and at times, copies of X-rays, scans etc… Indeed, many of these requests are presented at very short notice and despite this, the clinical teams do their best to accommodate the families concerned.

Additional information such as CT scans are also provided, where appropriate, and these requests are vetted independently by the Department of Radiology. It is not departmental policy to order additional investigations and/or additional tests unless there is a valid medical reason to do so, or a professional request in writing outlining the reason for any further investigation.

The Health Division invites the National Parents' Society for Persons with Disability to get in touch with the Chairman Paediatrics at St. Luke's Hospital, so that any specific issues/problems are discussed and to iron out any difficulties and/or misunderstandings.