Government approves mechanism to compensate women excluded from the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme on age grounds alone

The Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly TD, today (23 July) announced that he had received Government approval to establish a scheme to compensate those women who were excluded on age grounds alone from the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme.

Under the new scheme, ex-gratia awards will be provided to around 35 patients of Dr Michael Neary who received unnecessary bilateral oophorectomies but who were excluded from the original redress scheme on age grounds alone. Under the scheme, awards of between €60,000 and €100,000 will be provided.

The Minister said “I am conscious of the distress that has been caused to these women and recognise the pain that they suffered – firstly, by virtue of the unnecessary operation and secondly, through their exclusion from the original scheme. The establishment of this mechanism recognises that distress and pain and provides a means for redress.”

“I am pleased that the Government has delivered on its Programme for Government commitment to bring closure on this issue for these women. I will request the State Claims Agency to establish the Scheme as quickly as possible so that this sad chapter for these women – and for our society – can be brought to a close”, the Minister concluded.