Friday 26 January 2001
Organ scandal hospital 'sold' children's
glands
Alder Hey Children's
Hospital
News - Department
of Health
Royal College of
Pathologists
General Medical
Council
THE hospital at the centre of an organ-retention scandal admitted today that it
gave a pharmaceutical firm body parts from living children in return for
financial donations.
Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, said thymus glands removed from
youngsters during heart operations were sent to the company for research
purposes between 1991 and 1993.
The mother of a baby boy whose organs were removed and stored by Alder
Hey without her consent said she was appalled at the latest disclosure. Health
Minister John Hutton said the development was "absolutely horrifying".
The revelation comes only days before the findings of an independent inquiry
into the organ retention will be presented to Parliament. The company, which
has not been named but is thought to be French, donated money to the
hospital's cardiac department after receiving the thymus glands.
An Alder Hey spokeswoman said: "In some cases to carry out complex heart
surgery it is necessary for the thymus gland to be removed. The hospital can
confirm that for a brief period between 1991 and 1993, these were made
available to a pharmaceutical company for research, and that we are aware
that, during that period, contributions were made to the trust's cardiac
department." She refused to confirm how many children were involved.
Paula O'Leary, of the families' support group Pity2, said she was "appalled"
by the disclosure. Mrs O'Leary, of Bootle, Merseyside, asked: "What right
have they got to treat our children like that?
"It is bad enough that they treated them with disrespect after their death, but
disgraceful that they did this when they are alive. I keep saying, 'There can be
nothing worse to come out', but each new week brings an horrific revelation."
The Health Minister, John Hutton, said it was "absolutely horrifying" that
organs were removed from children and given to pharmaceutical companies
without parents being informed. He said: "As a parent I think consent is the
important issue here. If the parents have consented then it's fine, but if they
haven't then it's totally unacceptable."
The Government would be setting out its proposals dealing with this issue and
the earlier organ retention controversy at Alder Hey in the near future, he
added.
The thymus gland, a vital part of the immune system, is made up of two parts
and lies in the upper area of the chest, close to the heart. The two lobes,
named thymus because they resemble a bunch of thyme flowers, produce
healthy cells to attack foreign substances around the body. |
