Unknown files on ‘barbaric’ symphysiotomy op found

Thousands of previously unknown hospital files relating to patients who underwent “barbaric” symphysiotomies have been uncovered in private “off-site” locations across the country.

The situation was revealed yesterday by Survivors of Symphysiotomy, Amnesty International, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, which claimed the find is evidence of a “systemic cover-up” by Government and an attempt to lessen the impact of the Coalition’s redress scheme.

However, the Department of Health has insisted there is “no substance” to the suggestion “records were knowingly withheld”.

At a press conference about the information, SoS chairwoman Marie O’Connor said the documents involved birth registrations, labour ward books, theatre registers, obstetric notes and other details from 1940 to 1995. She said the files were likely to detail who was responsible for each procedure, and in some cases may relate to women who still do not know they underwent the surgery.

The records relate to three hospitals, St Finbarr’s in Cork, the Rotunda in Dublin, and Airmount in Waterford, two of which are now closed.

While the files have not yet been made available, responses to Dáil questions from local TDs on behalf of the groups outline what they contain and show the documents for St Finbarr’s are being held by the Iron Mountain storage company in Springhill, Co Cork; those for the Rotunda at the national archives; and those for Airmount at an undisclosed private records management firm in Dublin.

Ms O’Connor said she believed the records indicated there was an attempt by senior officials to hide vital information relating to symphysiotomies, which may also have taken place in other information “black-spots”. She said the department should also extend its symphysiotomy redress scheme, which closed last Friday, by one year to take account of the new find.

“These records are key to establishing the wrongfulness of symphysiotomy, yet they have never been examined. Official Ireland is trying to bury past abuses,” she said.

Symphysiotomy was a procedure whereby the pelvic bone was sawed open and widened in certain child-births, causing significant pain and complications for the woman.

While it was consigned to history in most parts of Western Europe by the middle of the last century, it continued to be widely used in Ireland until the 1980s, partially due to the fact other options lessened the chance of having a larger family.

At least 1,500 women underwent the procedure between 1940 and 1984, with 350 still alive. Under a Department of Health redress scheme overseen by Judge Maureen Harding Clark, 366 women have sought once-off compensation payments of €50,000 to €150,000, with 40 conditional offers totalling €2.6m already made.

Patient Focus and Survivors of Symphysiotomy Ltd —which is separate to SoS — backed the scheme, saying it prevents the need for arduous legal action and may be best given some victims’ age.

In a statement last night, the Department of Health said there is “no substance” to the claim “records were knowingly withheld from women”. It said it was “not unusual” for records to be held off-site given the large number of patient files generated by hospitals.