Neary feels no remorse as he does not feel he did anything wrong, claims friend

DR Michael Neary did “not feel any remorse” about any of the hysterectomies he performed during his time at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, a close friend has claimed.

Dr Neary, who is currently on holidays, has not commented on the Harding Clark report which found that he performed a “shockingly” high level of unnecessary womb removals over a 24-year period at the Drogheda hospital.

The doctor was struck off the medical register in 2003 because of his actions.

Sheila Martin, a Drogheda-based accountant, was a patient of Dr Neary and remained a loyal friend. She admitted to being “shocked” reading the inquiry report on Tuesday but insisted she still maintained full respect for Dr Neary as a doctor and as a person.

Ms Martin, a mother-of-one, credits him with saving the life of her then eight-year-old daughter when he detected her ovarian cyst 14 years ago.

“It doesn’t change my opinion of Michael Neary. I just want to say that there were other consultants with hysterectomy rates that went beyond national averages. Why didn’t other health professionals, management and professional bodies question the high figures? And where were the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) in all of this?” she asks.

“Remember, also, that hormones such as prostaglandin, which reduces haemorrhaging, was not allowed. Dr Neary believes he did right at the time. He did his best and couldn’t have done any better. He hasn’t experienced remorse as he’d only feel remorse if he felt he did something wrong.”

During the inquiry, Dr Neary blamed Sellafield emissions for his high rate of problem pregnancies and also the Catholic ethos which meant that he couldn’t perform tubal ligations - a form of pregnancy prevention.

However, in her report, Judge Harding Clark found that Daisy Hill hospital in Newry would have been affected by the same emissions and winds but its hysterectomy rates were not comparable. Nor were the hysterectomy rates in Drogheda comparable with the MMM’s other hospital, Airmount in Waterford which was governed by a similar Catholic ethos.

Ms Martin’s home was raided by gardaí in October 2004 as part of garda efforts to find some of the missing patient files that had hindered the collation of information for the inquiry.

She described it as “a harrowing experience for her family” and it made her determined that the real culprits are tracked down.

“These people should be brought before the courts. Rumour is rife in this town about who it is and, for my sake, I’d like to have it cleared up.”

Ms Martin spoke to Dr Neary on Monday night. She said the doctor was finding the media exposure very stressful.

“He is a workaholic who can’t believe that it has all gone so terribly wrong. He is devastated not to be working,” she said.