IRELAND'S largest transplant hospital sent kidneys abroad because it didn't have the bed capacity to offer them to any of the 580 patients on the domestic waiting list, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.

The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) has described the incident as "inexcusable", saying there is no shortage of people in Ireland desperately awaiting the life-saving organs.

It is believed to be the first time kidneys have been given away because of an inability to offer them to patients in Ireland.

The incident is understood to have led to angry exchanges between a top doctor at the hospital and health minister Mary Harney, sparking a crisis meeting to ensure such a failure of life-saving services is never repeated.

"I would find it difficult to believe we couldn't use all of our kidneys. In a pool of more than 500 people you will [always] be able to use a viable kidney," said Mark Murphy, chief executive of the IKA.

Beaumont Hospital, the country's largest provider of renal [kidney] replacement therapy, said the problem was due to the overcrowding of aftercare facilities and said the transfer was necessary to save the organs.

The incident occurred on 26 January when four kidneys and one pancreas became available for transplant. While two of the kidneys were used in Temple Street Children's Hospital, the other organs were sent via Beaumont Hospital to the United Kingdom Transplant Service.

The exchange of other transplant organs with the UK is regarded as common and essential to patient care. However, kidneys are retained for recipients in Ireland.

A spokesman for Beaumont Hospital said the controversial export was the result of an "extremely unusual" situation whereby some seven patients had received transplants in the preceding two days, stretching the capacity of the transplant unit. A pancreas transplant patient had also been moved to the unit. Transplant aftercare is regarded as being as crucial as the procedure itself.

A crisis meeting was held three days later as a result of serious concerns among medical staff. This meeting was intended to "determine how to respond to such a situation should it ever recur", according to the hospital.

"Agreement was reached between members of the transplant team and management of the hospital on the allocation of additional suitable beds and associated specialist nursing should they ever be needed," it said in a statement. Longer-term plans are also being formulated in the context of the further development of the renal transplantation service."

However, according to the IKA, the number of patients should not have led to such a situation.

It could happen again

"I would have been of the opinion that Beaumont had never had to let go of organs due to a bed," said Murphy. "I would find it extraordinary that seven is their capacity because I know that this is not the most they have ever dealt with in two days. It doesn't give me confidence that it won't happen again.

"This should technically never happen. It's good that these three organs weren't lost – that is a saving grace – but they were lost to the Irish system. Transplant programmes cannot depend on beds. The principal issue is that bed capacity should not be the issue."

A total of 172 kidneys were transplanted in Ireland last year. There are 580 people awaiting kidney transplants and 25 awaiting ­pancreases.

According to medical sources, the incident sparked angry reactions from staff at the hospital, and health minister Mary Harney was contacted.

The Department of Health refused to comment. "The department does not have a role in the use, allocation, import or export of individual organs for transplantation," it said.