Nuns back inquiry into Neary case

THE nuns who ran the Drogheda hospital where over 100 women allege unnecessary hysterectomies were performed on them have backed the women’s call for a public inquiry.

Dr Michael Neary, the obstetrician at the centre of these allegations, was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Irish Medical Council last month for removing the wombs from 10 patients.

The Council said they would go to the High Court to have Dr Neary struck off the medical registrar if he did not appeal their decision within 21 days. This deadline has now expired.

Patient Focus, which represents the women whose wombs were removed, have called on Health Minister Micheál Martin to set up a full public inquiry into what happened at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital over a 20-year period.

This also includes an investigation into the disappearance of 30 women’s files and the delay in detecting the unusually high Caesarean hysterectomy rate at the Drogheda hospital.

The Medical Missionaries of Mary, who ran the Drogheda hospital until 1997, yesterday supported the call for a public inquiry into the Dr Neary case.

In their first public statement on the matter, the nuns said they wanted to express their deep regret and sorrow for the pain, sense of loss, hurt and anger of those women.

And the Medical Missionaries of Mary acknowledged the dismay and sadness these events have caused all the medical, nursing and other staff at the hospital.

“We believe it is important to seek answers about how and why this happened - for this reason we would welcome and support a full inquiry into these events and we pledge to assist and participate in any such inquiry,” the statement said.

Patient Focus welcomed the nuns’ support for their demand for a full public inquiry.

“It is better late than never,” Patient Focus spokeswoman, Sheila O’Connor, said.