Inquiry 'may be incomplete'

An inquiry into Savita Halappanavar’s death has been thrown into further disarray after the health minister admitted it may be incomplete without her husband’s support.

The Government pressed ahead despite Praveen Halappanavar threatening to withhold his late wife’s medical notes and refusal to meet the investigation chairman.

He has called for a sworn, public independent inquiry with witnesses to be cross-examined.

“I have seen the way my wife was treated in the hospital so I have no confidence that the HSE will do justice,” he said.

Mrs Halappanavar, 31, died on October 28, 17 weeks into her pregnancy.

She miscarried and subsequently suffered septicaemia and her husband claims that doctors refused to carry out an abortion as a foetal heartbeat was present.

Dr James Reilly, health minister, said the probe would continue with or without Mr Halappanavar’s co-operation – even with the risk of an absence of important information.

“There may come a point when we won’t have the completeness of information without Mr Halappanavar’s input and that would be regrettable,” said Dr Reilly.

About 2,000 people joined the latest protest march outside the Dail demanding the Government take immediate action to legislate for abortion rights.

Inquiry chairman, obstetrics and gynaecology expert Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran of St George’s University of London, is to complete an interim report on Mrs Halappanavar’s death before Christmas.

Mr Halappanavar, in an interview on RTE’s Prime Time, said neither he nor his family had any confidence in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

“These people are salaried by the HSE,” he said.

“They pay them.

“We think that there would be some kind of bias during the investigation.”

Mr Halappanavar said he and his wife were told by medical staff that a termination on medical grounds was not possible as a foetal heartbeat was present and due to Ireland being a “Catholic country”.

“We just can’t believe that in the 21st century,” he said.

“It is still a shock for us.

“The way she was treated.

“I had to answer the family back home.

“They just kept asking, ’Have they taken any action?’.

“Everyone in the family were in shock.

“They could not believe it.

“It was such a simple case they could have just terminated her.

“They should have thought about the bigger life when they could not save the baby, why wait?”

Mr Halappanavar said he remained unhappy with the HSE review despite the removal of three Galway consultants from the inquiry team.

Their replacements will include one expert from the UK and two from outside of Galway – James Walker, Professor and Honorary Consultant of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in St James’ University Hospital in Leeds; Dr Brian Marsh, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, the Mater Hospital, Dublin; and Professor Mary Horgan, Consultant Physician in Cork University Hospital.

The widower went on to reject calls from Taoiseach Enda Kenny to hold face to face talks with Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran in an effort to allay concerns about the inquiry.

Dr Reilly insisted that the chairman’s door would remain open to him.

“But I hope that he understands that, notwithstanding the emotional trauma that he’s going through at the moment, I as a minister and as a doctor have to think of all of the women in the west of Ireland who use this hospital and my need to get to the truth of what may have happened here,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, amid questions being asked over Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran’s position on abortion, the HSE has said his experience and credentials are beyond reproach.

Mr Halappanavar said he went public with the story because there was no movement on an investigation or inquiry for two weeks after his wife’s death.

The Irish Government has come under fierce pressure from pro-choice campaign groups and the opposition to legislate on a 20-year-old Supreme Court ruling on the X Case, in which a judge ruled abortion should be legal when a woman’s life is at risk, including from suicide.

Mr Halappanavar’s solicitor Gerard O’Donnell said nothing less than a sworn, independent, public inquiry examining the seven days of his wife’s treatment in hospital would satisfy concerns.

It has been suggested a High Court judge or senior counsel should be appointed to head a fast-track inquiry under the Commissions of Investigation legislation.

“The only way to get to the truth is through cross-examination,” Mr O’Donnell said.

The Irish Patients Association has suggested the health watchdog, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) could investigate independently.

Intensive interviews with medics involved in Mrs Halappanavar’s care and hearing his side of the story were due to begin this week.

United Left Alliance TD Clare Daly is to reintroduce a bill calling for the Government to legislate on the X Case in the coming weeks.

It was originally rejected in February to coincide with the anniversary of the 1992 ruling.