Decision due on Savita death probe

Her husband Praveen is battling the Irish Government to hold a sworn, public inquiry into her death on October 28, which he claims happened after she was denied an abortion as she miscarried.

The President said he spoke out to show solidarity with concerned citizens and express the great sadness felt in Ireland.

“I said that it was a great tragedy, a young woman, and I expressed my sympathies to her husband and her extended family,” he said.

“I was joining the thousands of Irish people who are on the streets saying the same thing and then, on the specific issue, where do we go from here, I said it’s very important that the investigation be such as satisfies the genuine concern of the Irish people and that meets, in some way – in some small way - helps reducing the grief for Savita’s husband and her family and then that meets the needs of the state’s responsibilities.

“It was no more and no less than that.”

Mr Halappanavar has refused to co-operate with the existing Health Service Executive (HSE) inquiry.

A second investigation – a statutory inquiry run by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) watchdog – was requested by the HSE. A decision is due tomorrow.

As demands for an independent inquiry deepened, Mr Halappanavar’s lawyers revealed some detail of his wife’s medical notes from Galway University Hospital, October 21-28.

They claim there is no record in the files of the several requests for a termination.

They said the notes include requests for tea, toast and an extra blanket but records for his wife’s care on Monday October 22 is blank.

“I found a lot of information missing. There was no information on for Monday which was crucial,” he said.

The Halappanavars want an independent, public inquiry which would allow for witness cross-examination.

The HSE today effectively rebranded its inquiry with the focus on clinical issues.

Tony O’Brien, HSE director general designate, said it would be “a subjective, internationally validated clinical review”.

Ms Halappanavar, 31, died on October 28, 17 weeks into her pregnancy.

She miscarried and subsequently suffered septicaemia, and her husband claims that doctors refused to carry out an abortion because a foetal heartbeat was present. He says they were told Ireland “is a Catholic country”.

HSE inquiry chairman, obstetrics and gynaecology expert Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, of St George’s, University of London, is to complete an interim report on Mrs Halappanavar’s death before Christmas.

Mr Halappanavar is refusing to meet the chairman, despite pleas from Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The investigation was in disarray before its work began after three consultants from the Galway hospital were named on the review panel on Monday. They were removed and replaced by yesterday evening.

HSE chiefs were at pains to stress today that Health Minister Dr James Reilly did not sign off on the composition of the panel.

A report, with details of chronology, findings and recommendations and names of concerned individuals censored, is being given to the family.

A copy of Mrs Halappanavar’s medical files are with a coroner in Galway, the hospital and the family.

Mr Higgins, on a three-day trip to Liverpool and Manchester, rejected suggestions that he had overstepped his role as head of state by commenting on the controversy.

“What I do say, what I did say was that it (the inquiry) should be aimed to ensure the safety of the health of women,” the president said.

“And I think surely that is the greatest consideration.”

Joan Burton, minister for social protection and a former Labour colleague of the president’s, commended him for speaking out.

“I’ve read and heard the comments made by Uachtaran na hEireann (President of Ireland) and I want to say they are considerate, thoughtful, reflective and humane,” she said.

President Higgins said he was well aware of his role.

“I can assure you as a political scientist for nearly 40 years, I’m very well aware of not only the constitutional limits on the president but what the people might correctly expect from their president,” he said.

“If you have so many thousands of people coming out in different places and saying or expressing their sympathy to the family, which they did, and that’s very moving and I obviously take account of that too."

The president added that his remarks, as reported last night, were “very close to the public”.

On the prospects of a second inquiry, Hiqa said: “The board of the authority is currently considering this request and all the facts and information it received.”

Meanwhile, a phone number which was being used to make unsolicited calls with automated messages related to the wider abortion rights debate has been shut down after about 70 complaints to regulators.