Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Abortion Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2022

Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Ceisteanna (695)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

695. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 806 of 10 May 2022 and 708 of 17 May 2022, if his attention has been drawn to incidents in which abortions have taken place after an unborn baby has been misdiagnosed as having a fatal condition; and if so, the number of incidents to which his attention was drawn. [26517/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As noted in PQ response 24558/22, under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, services are legally obliged to notify the Minister for Health of the following information:

- Medical Council registration number of the medical practitioner who carried out the termination of pregnancy;

- The section of the Act under which the termination was carried out, i.e., section 9, 10, 11 or 12;

- Medical Council registration number(s) of the medical practitioner(s) who made the certification concerned;

- The county of residence, or place of residence (where the woman resides outside of the State) of the woman concerned;

- The date on which the termination of pregnancy was carried out.

With reference to terminations carried out under section 11 of the Act (condition likely to lead to death of foetus), the Minister was notified of 100 such terminations in 2019 and 97 in 2020.

The HSE may also advise the Department of major/significant patient safety issues and incidents through the HSE and the Department of Health Protocol – Communications in relation to major/significant patient safety issues and incidents. This is a formal mechanism by which the Department and the Minister for Health are informed by the HSE in an anonymised way of serious patient safety incidents that occur in health services. The Department of Health, via this protocol, is kept updated regarding the completion of incident reviews, the implementation of the recommendations and learning from reviews to improve services.

My Department has been made aware through the Protocol of one issue in relation to a termination under section 11 of the Act since 2019.  On such sensitive matters, it is vital that confidentiality is maintained and the Department does not comment on individual cases.

Serious adverse events in health and social care services have a devastating impact on the families concerned. It is vital that our health services take steps to ensure serious adverse events are appropriately reviewed and responded to at a national level. I advise that anyone affected by any incidents related to termination of pregnancy services should raise their concerns with the HSE.

Barr
Roinn