Court date set for Halappanavar case against HSE for damages

A date has been set in the High Court for the claim for damages against the Health Service Executive being brought by the husband of the late Savita Halappanavar.

Praveen Halappanavar’s case against the HSE will be heard on March 10 next year and is expected to run for three days.

The medical negligence case follows the death of 31-year old Ms Halappanavar three years ago. She was pregnant with her first child when she presented at University College Hospital Galway with pains.

She died a week later - on October 28th, 2012 - after miscarrying and contracting E coli, leading to septic shock.

An inquest heard she had repeatedly asked for a termination. But because a heartbeat was detected and the fact that her life did not appear to be in danger at that time, an abortion could not be carried out under the law.

A review into the handling of her case found that ‘inadequate assessment and monitoring’ were contributory factors in her death.

Mr Halappanavar will travel home from the US, where he is working for Boston Scientific, for the three-day hearing next March, his solicitor, Gerard O’Donnell, said.