Neary redress process nearing end

PROPOSALS TO compensate women excluded from the Lourdes hospital redress scheme because of their age are “at an advanced stage”, Minister for Health James Reilly has told the Dáil.

He said he hoped to resolve the process “in the next few weeks”. Twenty-nine women were excluded from the scheme because they were over 40 when they underwent unnecessary hysterectomies at the Drogheda, Co Louth hospital. Dr Reilly said a review was ongoing in six other cases.

Michael Neary, who carried out an excessive number of hysterectomies at the hospital, was struck off the medical register in 2003.

A number of affected women were in the Dáil visitors’ gallery during health question time when Dr Reilly dealt with the issue.

“I am committed to finding a mechanism to compensate those who were excluded on age grounds alone for the Lourdes hospital redress scheme,” he said. “My proposals for dealing with this sensitive situation are at an advanced stage.” He hoped the proposals clarified matters “for the many women who suffered at the hand of an individual who was clearly dysfunctional and did untold damage to many people’s lives”.

He added: “As a past member of the medical profession that is something about which we are all deeply ashamed.”

The issue was raised by Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, who welcomed the proposals but said there were 35 women involved. While 29 were excluded on age grounds, he said there were six others “including two who lost children in very distressing circumstances”.

He called on the Minister to deal with the issue “in a clean and full way leaving nobody hurt behind”. Dr Reilly told him, however, the commitment in the programme for government was “very clear and it defines the people concerned who were excluded on age grounds alone”.

In further meetings with Patient Focus, the women’s representative group, he gave an undertaking to review the other cases “and that review is ongoing”. There were legal considerations in these cases that the Attorney General was examining.

The Minister later said he had asked the Attorney General to consider a draft report into the separate practice of symphysiotomy, which involved severing the symphysis joint to widen the pelvis during childbirth.

He was very conscious of the distress the procedure caused to women and the Government was committed to ensuring the “greatest possible supports and services” were made available to women who continued to suffer the effects of this procedure.

However, he rejected Mr Ó Caoláin’s contention that it was a “barbaric act” although its use in some circumstances might well have been “utterly inappropriate”, he said.