Families hand over files to gardaí in organ retention scandal

HUNDREDS of families involved in the organ retention scandal are to hand over files to the gardaí for criminal investigation.

Gardaí have already received about 30 files from parents whose deceased children’s organs were removed without their knowledge or consent.

More than 60 families are seeking damages from hospitals and health boards and some of those cases are nearly ready to go to court.

This weekend, Parents for Justice, the support group representing 800 families, will be asking all their members to hand their files over to gardaí.

PFJ spokesperson Fionnuala O’Reilly said they would be advising what complaints members could legitimately make to the gardaí. She said gardaí were now investigating hospitals who failed to notify the coroner of children’s deaths.

Under the Coroners Act, hospitals are obliged to notify the coroner of death from anaesthesia or within 24 hours of surgery.

Ms O’Reilly has claimed there were hundreds of cases where this did not happen. This pro-active response from PFJ is part of their strategy to have the current state inquiry into the organ retention scandal scrapped and replaced with one that has the powers to seek documents and summon witnesses to appear before it.

Last December, Health Minister Micheál Martin told PFJ representatives he wanted the inquiry to complete its investigation of the role played by paediatric hospitals before deciding on how the next phase of the inquiry should proceed.

A spokesperson for the minister confirmed yesterday that his position on the matter had not changed.

Inquiry chairperson, Anne Dunne SC, told Mr Martin she expected to complete her report by December 2003.

Ms Dunne has also told the minister that the inquiry could continue its work, despite the boycott of PFJ, who represent two-thirds of the parents involved in her investigation.

There were about 130 parents/next of kin who have made submissions to the inquiry and have not withdrawn from its work.

Ms Dunne also pointed out that only one major hospital had yet to furnish information to the inquiry.

Ms O’Reilly said PFJ members were now more determined than ever to pursue all legal avenues open to them.