The Minister for Health needs to ensure full implementation of all the recommendations contained in the new National Miscarriage Misdiagnosis Report, according to Fianna Fáil Whip and former Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, Seán Ó Fearghail TD.

 

“The publication of this report is likely to be a cause of great concern to any parent who has suffered a miscarriage,” said Deputy Ó Fearghail. “A miscarriage is a tremendously difficult experience for any prospective parent, without worrying about the possibility of misdiagnosis.”

 

The report published today confirmed that 24 cases of miscarriage misdiagnosis occurred, 18 of these incidents happened over a 5 year period which is very alarming. In addition, over 400 calls were received from women who were concerned that they had been misdiagnosed which demonstrates the level of concern surrounding this issue.

 

“In their statement accompanying the report, the HSE has claimed that many of the recommendations made by the Review Group in their report are already “underway”. While this is welcome, it does not go far enough. I am calling on the Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly to confirm that he will be demanding full and immediate implementation of all the recommendations. Additionally the HSE needs to provide details of exactly which of the recommendations are currently in place and what they have done in a practical way to ensure further misdiagnoses do not occur.”

 

“The people who have volunteered the information behind these misdiagnoses deserve great credit for their courage in coming forward and the role they have played in helping ensure this cannot happen again. However, if their efforts are to be recognised and if women are to have confidence in maternity services, the HSE needs to offer more assurance to expectant parents all over the country that we have the health procedures in place that will give them proper treatment and care,” Deputy Ó Fearghail concluded.