Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this but I wish we did not have to. There have been some comments about political issues but there were no political issues for the Deputies and Senators of the north east and we worked very closely together. The committee was chaired by Deputy Mary Wallace, now Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, with Deputy Ó Caoláin as secretary. There was total unanimity in our efforts to work with Patient Focus and all the women affected.

I will never forget the first night I went to the Ardboyne Hotel in Drogheda and listened to the individual accounts of those who suffered under Mr. Neary and others. It was clear from their life situation what they and their families had suffered. Whatever money is paid to them will never recompense them for what they have endured. I give my sincere thanks to Patient Focus and all the women who brought their case into the open, which was not easy.

The inquiry is extremely important and Judge Harding Clark must be congratulated and thanked for her work. The inquiry concentrated on the practices of Mr. Neary but there may be not enough on Dr. Lynch's practices, which cannot be ignored and must also be dealt with. This is the biggest medical scandal in the history of the State after hepatitis C and the report goes a long way to explain how the appalling practices went on over a 25-year period. Some 188 hysterectomies were carried out over that period of which 129 were by Mr. Neary. There are no details in the report of the numbers of ovaries or Fallopian tubes removed, babies that died or the scars that women will take with them to their grave. The obstetricians, junior doctors, anaesthetists, surgical nurses, midwives, pathologists and technicians all failed to bring this to somebody's notice. If it had not been for a midwife trained at the Royal Victoria Hospital, God knows if it would ever have come out. She, like Patient Focus and others, must be thanked for what she did.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists inspected the unit twice in those years and found it suitable for training registrars. The Royal College of Surgeons approved the unit for undergraduate training and An Bord Altranais carried out periodic assessments of the midwifery school at the hospital. Those names ring very hollow with those of us who represent Cavan and Monaghan. Those are the bodies which decided that, notwithstanding the good service given in Monaghan Hospital, the maternity unit there should be closed. They decided for whatever reason that they would shut it down as if they were God almighty. Now we learn that they inspected the unit twice in those years and found nothing wrong. The management said there was no problem with the maternity unit and Mr. Neary was obviously regarded as the dominant figure. We only have to compare the figures for hysterectomies in the Lourdes hospital to national deliveries to see the extraordinary difference. The ratio is one to every 166 in Lourdes hospital but one to 1,669 elsewhere.

The record keeping was another problem. Birth registers were missing, as were 38 charts. Reports connected with the maternity unit were not included in the Lourdes hospital annual report. This doctor was famous for saying "He saved your life", which sums up the situation. The nurse that exposed the scandal was appalled by many practices that have long since been abandoned. There was no forum in which to express those concerns. Her colleagues told her that nothing could be done until a patient complained but she did a good job. I was born in the Lourdes hospital so I have nothing against the hospital, though many others might, for that reason.

I pay tribute to Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin. He was the first person to give me details of this and I recognise the fact his work is recorded in the report. He highlighted the difficulties at a time others were trying to get us to back Mr. Neary and ensure no action was taken against him.

I appreciate that many mothers would tell us that they have much for which to thank Dr. Neary. I welcome that Judge Harding Clark has published this report and agreed to advise the Government in respect of compensation. It is vital that she be given the wherewithal to deal with this matter properly. We do not want a situation in which she is curtailed in terms of how she can deal with the matter or in respect of the finances that are available to her. This issue must be dealt with quickly and openly.

It is vital that people be allowed to put their cases forward in an open forum and that they be given the opportunity to be heard because of what they endured. It is also vital that cases such as that of Dr. Lynch and others be addressed and that there be complete closure in respect of this dreadful ordeal for the people concerned and for Patient Focus.

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