Women may sue State over failed promises

WOMEN who underwent an operation in which their pelvis was broken after childbirth are considering taking the Government to court because it has failed to fulfil promises it made to them over five months ago.

Known as a symphysiotomy, the procedure was carried out on more than 1,000 women between the 1950s and 1980s in cases of obstructed labour. Many survivors of the procedure say it was performed without their consent and that they were not told about it afterwards. The victims are also suffering back and leg pain, incontinence, mental trauma and problems associated with never being able to bond with their baby.

In a meeting with Department of Health officials last October, victims were promised a range of supports. They have received private counselling, but there is no word about GP information packs promised, a special helpline or independent assessments, victims said yesterday.

Health board bosses have asked the women to name the consultants who performed the procedure but this has been dismissed as “just another delaying tactic.”

“They know from their own records who carried out these procedures and where the were carried out,” a spokesperson for Survivors of Symphysiotomy said yesterday.

“The health boards needn’t think that they can brush this problem under the carpet. There are too many of us to let this go away. All we are looking for is basic medical care and for corrective surgery for the women who are young enough to have it. But we are being pushed into the courts and we won’t be slow to take a test case, if that’s what the Government wants us to do. It was never about compensation. No amount of compensation could make up for the suffering we endure daily.

“We’re not screaming about a sore throat or a sore finger. We’ve been condemned to a lifetime of suffering and pain and we’re not going away.”

An official investigating the matter said yesterday it was unlikely that the doctors involved will be contacted.

The move to identify consultants who carried out symphysiotomys is being co-ordinated by Jim Reilly, general manager, CEO’s Office, North Eastern Health Board, along with Angela Fitzgerald, director of Monitoring and Evaluation with the Eastern Regional Health Authority.

In an interview with the Irish Medical News, Mr Reilly said many of the consultants involved would be retired, and “it would be probably inappropriate to contact them at this stage”. He said the primary concern was ascertaining the healthcare needs of the patients.

A Department of Health spokesperson said that the information pack for GPs was almost ready, that an international expert from Sweden is being sourced to provide independent assessment and that progress is being made in delivering on the promises.

The Survivors of Symphysiotomy can be contacted on [phone].