The Finnish pathologist at the centre of the major controversy surrounding cancer testing at University College Hospital Galway has claimed he was not on sick leave while he worked in Ireland. It had been claimed in previous weeks that Dr Geagea had been on sick leave from his workplace in Finland while he worked in Ireland.

In an interview on Newstalk 106-108, 
Dr Antoine Geagea, who is from the Lebanon, told the show that the report from his employers in Finland that he was on sick leave while working in Galway and Cork University Hospitals were wrong.

In response to the criticism of him in recent weeks, Dr Geagea said, "Well I said let's wait and see. And is it not impossible that overnight a brilliant doctor in Galway will turn to be such a bad person in Cork. The mistake that must be checked in other way since the consultant is not sitting side by side by the checkers? I tried to make the reform. They didn't like it. So I resigned."

Dr. Geagea also admitted for the first time to previous errors committed in Finland: "It is true. But everybody makes mistakes. I never was warned. Never was suspended. I was doing lots of work. And if somebody works lots, it happens that there are mistakes. But they were minor mistakes, no great."

The Health Service Executive West said they would be unable to comment on the revelations while the HIQA review, lead by Dr Mike Durkin, is ongoing.

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