Thalidomide survivors 'baffled' at meeting refusal by health minister 

Thalidomide survivors at a protest outside the Dáil last November to mark the 60th anniversary of the international withdrawal of thalidomide in November 1961 when evidence of its catastrophic damage could no longer be ignored. Picture: Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography

The Irish Thalidomide Association (ITA) has said it is “baffling” the health minister has not rescheduled a meeting with them which was cancelled one year ago.

Spokeswoman Finola Cassidy said they were due to meet with Stephen Donnelly on January 11 last year, and despite an emailed commitment to re-schedule, this has not happened.

“They cancelled with about an hour and half to go, we were all set up [on Zoom]. It was like another kick in the stomach,” she said.

Ms Cassidy said Mr Donnelly was very supportive of their cause while in opposition.

“The people who need to come to the table are the minister and his senior team. He was full-scale behind us before, and for him to never meet with us now is baffling and extraordinary,” she said.

In 2018, he told the Dáil: “The State has been fairly accused of being involved in a serious and sinister cover-up. For decades, many of the thalidomide victims have been denied help and compensation.” 

However, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said a meeting was not currently being considered.

Finola Cassidy: 'It was like another kick in the stomach,' when Health Minister Stephen Donnelly cancelled a planned meeting last January. File picture James Horan/Photocall Ireland

“There are a number of cases concerning thalidomide before the High Court at present and it is not possible to comment on matters that are sub judice,” she said.

As certain members of the representative organisation and the minister for health are on opposing sides of the extant litigation, it is not appropriate for the minister to meet with the representatives, in these circumstances.” 

A small number of parents whose children were affected are still alive, she said, and Ms Cassidy called again on the Government to apologise to these elderly people.

“They are all in their 80s and 90s. These women, in particular, an apology would mean the world to these women,” she said. “They need to hear that this was not their fault.” 

The ITA has written to TDs and senators, asking them to raise their case in the Dáil, Ms Cassidy said.

She is also pushing for movement on the Support for Irish Survivors of Thalidomide Bill. This would provide health and personal social supports on a statutory basis.

Work is "under way" on this, a department spokesperson said.

“While it is not possible at this stage to provide a timeframe for these legislative proposals, the Government is committed to the ongoing support of Irish thalidomide survivors,” she said.

She said 29 survivors receive a payment from the State, with the annual amount between €6,175 to €13,313 each year per person. A medical card and other supports are available, she said.

The ITA represents 40 survivors here, Ms Cassidy said.

The German family behind the drug apologised late last year. It was sold to women suffering from morning sickness in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but was linked to birth defects or infant deaths in thousands of cases worldwide.