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The National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street. Photocall Ireland!

Doctor angered at ‘outrageous breach of patient confidentiality’ at Holles Street

The Irish Times reports this morning that a termination of a twin pregnancy was carried out on a patient at risk of sepsis – the first to be performed under new legislation.

OBSTETRICIAN DR PETER BOYLAN, Clinical Director at the National Maternity Hospital, has expressed his anger that patient details have ended up ‘splashed on newspapers’ this morning.

The Irish Times reported today that doctors at the Holles Street hospital carried out the country’s first termination under the provisions of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013.

Dr Boylan disputed whether the procedure cited could be labelled the first in the country.

“We don’t have access to all obstetric units in the country and I doubt if [the journalist] does too,” he told Morning Ireland, before refusing to answer whether it was, in fact, the first termination to be carried out at the hospital under the new laws.

“We would be caring for patients and making appropriate decisions such as this regularly,” he said.

Dr Boylan also told the broadcaster that he will begin investigating the source of the leak immediately.

Patient confidentiality is at the root of this whole thing. It is absolutely unacceptable for patient details to be splashed around the front page of the newspaper.

“It is not fair on patients to do this. And it is completely unethical if it is a doctor giving information to the public…To give exact clinical details of a patient to a member of the press is absolutely unethical behaviour by any medical personnel. And if it is a doctor, then this sort of transgression or bad behaviour could well end up before the Medical Council.”

“Patient confidentiality is absolutely critical in our dealing with women in sensitive and difficult situations,” he continued.

“This is not the sort of behaviour you expect from a serious professional. It is completely unprofessional to give details of a patient which allows her to be identified.

Can you imagine her distress to find that her details are spread across the front of newspaper and being discussed in the news? It is outrageous.

Boylan also said that the “most serious thing about this whole episode is the serious breach of patient confidentiality”.

According to the newspaper, the decision to carry out the procedure was taken as the patient was at risk of sepsis. Her 18-week twin pregnancy was unviable and her membranes had ruptured.

Journalist Paul Cullen reports that the case has many similarities to that of Savita Halappanavar who died in University Hospital Galway last October.

Senior obstetricians at Holles Street, including master Dr Rhona Mahony, were involved in the decision and, according to the report, the procedure was performed under section 7 of the act which deals with the risk of loss of life of a woman from a physical condition.

Before the legislation was introduced, the same course of treatment could have been provided but the new laws ensure against any Medical Council case.

Choice Ireland has said it hopes the woman involved is now healthy and well. A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that it is worth remembering that it is not the first Irish abortion and that 12 Irish women will travel abroad today to terminate pregnancies.

Read: Most medical students want abortion on demand, fewer would perform it

More: Labour TD ‘felt very sore’ after secret recording of his views on abortion

Video: Story of late-term abortion doctors in USA set for Irish film festival

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    Mute Dave Hogan
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:07 AM

    RTE have their own in house version with tubbs and co collecting the jackpot every week.

    140
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    Mute Shane Dunne
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:05 AM

    I enjoy an odd bet every now and then. The excitement you get when your horse is close to winning is fun.

    It’s completely different with the Lotto. I never watch the draws. Buying that ticket gives you permission to daydream and imagine what you would do with a life changing amount of money.

    I do understand that gambling can be very addictive. I don’t think people are going to lose their homes or jobs because of the lotto.

    58
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    Mute Con Murphy
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:18 AM

    Lotto is just another Tax on the lowest income people in society.

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    Mute Noel
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:30 AM

    @Father Spodo Komodo: Form of bingo for people wow

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    Mute Con Murphy
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:37 AM

    @Father Spodo Komodo:
    Of course they are forced, by huge spending on brainwashing advertising, and reducing the lower orders to a state of desperation through austerity cuts and unemployment, forcing people to smoke,abuse alcohol, eat bad cheap food, in their anxiety and desperation, and play lotto and other forms of gambling as a hoped for cure for,or just a much needed distration from, their hopeless situation. That,s if suicide doesn’t get them first. Age old tactics that the ruling classes have used for Millenia

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    Mute Ryan Boyle
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 10:17 AM

    @Con Murphy: Ugh – imagine having to listen to you drone on in a pub or something. “Enda, Merkle, Rabble Rabble, Bleedin’ Water Charges, Rabble….”

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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:30 AM

    Winning Streak with Mike Murphy will always be the best Wining Streak.

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 8:21 AM

    Stopped doing it when it went over 2 euro a line ,can’t understand why there is inflation in winning a million,oops I forget what make the corporate society of Ireland work “pure greed”.

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    Mute ed w
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 8:23 AM

    @Gerard Heery: don ferret reducing your chances of winning at the same time

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    Mute Paul Dennis
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 8:44 AM

    @ed w: they have ferrets runing the lotto now lol

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    Mute 6ljJQRRU
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:40 AM

    Not sure why lotto given free advertising. It’s gambling and every time a winner or whatever it’s all over the news and more free advertising.

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    Mute Paul Maher
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 7:19 AM

    Why is the shot in black and white??
    Are we budgeting on the production here or is it an attempt to age us all??

    26
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    Mute Donal Proctor
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 7:41 AM

    @Paul Maher: Sadly I think they were trying to make it look older then it really is by using a black and white photo.

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    Mute Type17
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 8:04 AM

    @Paul Maher: probably taken by a newspaper photographer- they worked with b&w film as it’s much quicker/easier to develop than colour. Even though this wasn’t a fast-moving story, b&w would still be the chosen format.

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    Mute Conor O'Neill
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 6:56 AM

    Extra tax for people bad at maths!

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Aug 2nd 2017, 10:59 PM

    How much does the Canadian pensioners get from it… I wonder?

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