Legal costs ‘thwart pursuit of justice’

THE mother of the young Cork man who died following a series of medical errors says cases such as that which focused on her son’s tragic death should be heard in forums other than the courts.

The spiralling cost of litigation very often deterred people from having recourse to justice and truth, Margaret Murphy said.

She believes the Medical Council and the Minister for Health Mícheál Martin should work towards the creation of a special forum which would adjudicate on questionable medical cases.

The Murphy family received a €76,600 settlement in the High Court on Monday last after it emerged that severe hypercalcaemia excess levels of calcium in the blood identified in Kevin Murphy's blood tests in 1997, went untreated for two years.

Last night, Mrs Murphy stressed that while she was not about to spearhead a campaign, she was considering what options were open to her with a view to ensuring structures were put in place to assist in the search for truth and justice, especially in cases where people could not afford to take the legal route.

Her 21-year-old son's condition was very treatable if properly identified.

The Murphy family had taken a case against the Mercy Hospital, Cork, where her son was initially admitted in September 1999, and four doctors who treated Mr Murphy at various stages: Dr Neil Brennan, a consultant at the hospital; Dr George Mullan, an orthopaedic surgeon; and Mr Murphy's general practitioners, Dr Norman Murphy and Dr Fergus O'Connell.

Mr Murphy died in hospital in September 1999. It transpired blood test results attached on a Post-it to a referral letter had not been seen. The High Court ruled it was "quite clear" he should not have died.