Delay in reforming injury law ‘shameful’

The president of the High Court yesterday said it was “really shameful” legislation has not yet been introduced for a system of periodic payments for the catastrophically injured who settle their medical negligence actions.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly made his comments as he approved a final €8m lump sum payment for a 13-year old boy, Jamie Patterson who had sued the Coombe Hospital over the circumstances of his birth.

Jamie Patterson has cerebral palsy with spastic quadriplegia, is not able to talk, and can only communicate through facial expressions and body language. This final lump sum payment brings to €9.8m the total paid out to the boy. The settlement was without an admission of liability.