Widower speaks about wife’s ‘tremendous sacrifice’ after High Court settlement in misdiagnosis action taken against HSE, writes GORDON DEEGAN
THE HUSBAND of cancer misdiagnosis victim, Ann Moriarty, said yesterday his wife would be happy that the sacrifice she made has resulted in an improved health service and increased awareness around breast cancer.
Karl Henry was speaking just days after the High Court approved a €110,000 settlement in the action taken by him and his son, Ciarán, against the HSE. They claimed Ms Moriarty’s life was cut short due to alleged failures at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis to diagnose her breast cancer. The HSE denied the claims and the settlement was without admission of liability.
Yesterday, Mr Henry described the last three years since Ms Moriarty (54) died in April 2008 as “absolutely horrific”. He said that with the High Court settlement “I can have closure because in a lot of ways, it has been a living nightmare”. The Ennis-based civil servant said: “Ann would be very happy today with what I would regard as her tremendous sacrifice having produced a lot of good. Her sacrifice was not in vain and a lot of lessons have been learned over what occurred.”
The misdiagnosis of Ms Moriarty and a second misdiagnosis of the late Kilrush woman, Edel Kelly, prompted an investigation by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into services at Ennis hospital.
A number of services have been withdrawn from Ennis since, including 24-hour emergency services, and Mr Henry said that Ennis General “is now a safer and better hospital”. He said he agrees with the broad thrust of the HSE strategy to remove services from smaller hospitals such as Roscommon to larger hospitals where there is a bigger throughput of patients.
He said: “Broadly, I would agree with Hiqa and we must accept what Hiqa has to say. However, if there are not adequate resources in the bigger hospitals you are just transferring the problem, and Limerick Regional Hospital is struggling to cope.”
Mr Henry added that the circumstances of Ann’s death “led to increased awareness around breast cancer. There was a substantial take-up for example to the special phone line that was put in place after I went public.”
Ann’s death, he said, exposed a lot of the shortcomings in the health service. “Her sacrifice was an extension of what she was as she cared for people throughout her life.”
He also said that for a long time, he couldn’t pass a photograph of her without tears in his eyes, but seeing her picture now “brings a smile”.
On going public three years ago about her misdiagnosis, Mr Henry said: “I did what I had to do. I did it for Ann. It was never an option to stay quiet.”
He admitted to having a huge anger towards the HSE in the aftermath of her death. “There was no point carrying that bitterness towards the HSE around, because it was burning me up. I was consumed with intense anger.
“It is only this year that I have come to accept what has happened. It has been three very tough years. There was no way of speeding it up.”