Third damning report on care of Savita demands action – Ó Caoláin
Commenting on the HIQA Report on the tragic case of the late Savita Halappanavar, Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD said the report demanded action on all its recommendations to ensure better care for pregnant women.
“This is the third report on the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, following the report of the coroner in the inquest in April and the HSE report in June. All have been most damning in their findings on the failure of care in the case of a young woman who lost her life in circumstances where she could well have been saved,' said Deputy Ó Caoláin.
“HIQA has identified a number of missed opportunities which, had they been identified and acted upon, may have potentially changed the outcome of Savita’s care. These include lack of proper observation of her condition, lack of timely response to her deterioration and failure to alert an appropriately qualified clinician.
“It is extremely worrying that HIQA has found that the pathways of care and access to maternity services for ante-natal patients at the hospital were not always timely or appropriate.
“It is equally worrying that consultants on call on the labour ward were not present in the labour ward, but engaged in other clinical activities.
“The failures in record keeping are of major concern, including the evidence of retrospective entries of information two weeks after Savita’s death.
“It is vital that all the recommendations of this HIQA report, of the HSE report and of the coroner are fully implemented in order to ensure the safety of women in all our maternity hospitals.”