A medical conspiracy against the public

Irish Times -

The people not surprised by Praveen Halappanavar’s suffering are the relatives of hospital patients all over the country.

There is a group of people in the country who are shocked but not surprised by the treatment received by the late Savita Halappanavar, whose inquest concluded last week with a verdict of misadventure, and by her husband. Praveen Halappanavar has the sympathy of the country, not only because of the tragedy of losing his wife, but because of what he himself endured in watching her avoidable death.

The group of people who are shocked but not surprised by the suffering of Praveen Halappanavar are the relatives of hospital patients all over the country. This is the group of people which not only sympathises with Praveen Halappanavar, but identifies with him.

To be the relative of a patient in the hospital system is to feel at once completely powerless and yet totally responsible. It is to feel that information is being kept from you.

Above all, being the relative of a patient in the Irish hospital system, is to be convinced that no one is supervising the case as closely as you are. A truly terrifying thought, yet a reasonable one in a system that can’t keep or maintain its own records.

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