Third Savita report not before end of summer

The report of the third inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar at Galway University Hospital last October will not be published before the end of the summer.

The Health Information and Quality Authority report will follow the HSE clinical review and the coroner’s inquest, both of which were severely critical of the level of care and management of Ms Halappanavar at the hospital’s maternity department.

At the first public meeting of the board of the Galway and Roscommon University Hospitals Group yesterday, group clinical director Dr Pat Nash said the HSE clinical review published last
week had made for difficult reading for everyone concerned. Regular debriefing sessions had been held with staff, most recently on Monday.

No date had been fixed for the publication of the Hiqa inquiry, but it appeared that it would be
late summer or early autumn.Dr Nash proposed that the board endorse a vote of apology and condolence to Ms Halappanavar's husband, Praveen. Seconding the proposal, board member, John Killeen also acknowledged the great stress on members of staff at the hospital arising from the tragedy.