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National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street. Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

Husband whose pregnant wife died during Holles Street surgery settles damages case

Malak Thawley died in 2016 during surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.

THE HUSBAND OF a pregnant woman who died during surgery in Holles Street has settled his action against the National Maternity Hospital.

Malak Thawley (34) died at the Dublin hospital on 8 May 2016 during surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.

Today, her husband said the case has been concluded and that it had been brought to demonstrate “the cascade of negligence” by the hospital.

Last year, a coroner returned a verdict of medical misadventure following an inquest into her death.

Malak Thawley needed emergency surgery after a scan diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when an embryo implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.

The inquest heard of a number of issues that arose as doctors tried to save the woman’s life, including staff levels and availability of blood and adrenalin.

The hospital previously apologised unreservedly for the shortcomings the Malak’s care.

Speaking to reporters outside the Four Courts today, Alan Thawley said the conclusion of the action does not cure the loss he has experienced at the death of his wife.

“There is no compensation that could replace the profound loss of my wife’s untimely and needless death,” he said.

“The proceedings were brought forward to demonstrate the cascade of negligence by the hospital. I will continue to work with the Health Minister and his ministerial inquiry to ensure that I am the last person in Irish history who has to suffer what I suffered, and continue to suffer to date.”

Read: ‘She was a beautiful soul who was going to be the mother of my child and now she’s gone’ >

Read: ‘She asked me to pray for her’: Inquest hears pregnant woman died during surgery at Holles Street >

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    Mute Tomas
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    Jan 16th 2018, 3:13 PM

    The hospital had to send out staff to the local pub to get ice during this emergency.When I read this in an earlier report I was shocked.

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    Mute Jason
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    Jan 16th 2018, 4:07 PM

    @Tomas: It would make you wonder if there’s some kind of health insurance available to pregnant women that covers an emergency evacuation to a first world country…

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    Mute Tomas
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    Jan 16th 2018, 4:25 PM

    @Jason: You would be suprised at the amount of child/adult cases sent abroad every year..

    17
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    Mute B9xiRspG
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    Jan 16th 2018, 3:11 PM

    No amount of money will fix his life but I hope he can move on now.

    162
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    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Jan 16th 2018, 3:47 PM

    What a loss he has suffered. No amount of money can replace the loss of his beautiful wife and their future together. I hope lessons are learned from this..

    104
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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    Jan 16th 2018, 3:41 PM

    A cascade of negligence on top of lack of resources.

    80
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    Mute Chemical Brothers
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    Jan 16th 2018, 4:46 PM

    Our health services are in shiite because of the people working in them. Blaming the government & HSE is popular & lazy but at some point we will have to blame the staff they are the ones fooking up daily at the coalface.

    65
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    Mute Aidan O' Neill
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    Jan 16th 2018, 5:35 PM

    @Chemical Brothers: The HSE is a bloated mess. The vast majority of hospital workers I have come across are extremely hard working.

    44
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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Jan 16th 2018, 5:09 PM

    It’s funny how some doctors blame the Eighth Amendment (including a certain well-known doctor at Holles Street) for putting pregnant women’s lives in danger – those doctors are doing that quite well all by themselves!

    38
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    Mute Liza Latte
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    Jan 16th 2018, 5:18 PM

    @Ciarán Masterson: interesting you bring up the 8th. It’s because there was a heart beat that she had to undergo surgery rather than take one pill to end the pregnancy.

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    Mute Liza Latte
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    Jan 16th 2018, 5:21 PM

    @Ciarán Masterson: interesting you bring up the 8th. It’s because there was a heart beat that she had to undergo surgery rather than take a pill to end the pregnancy. That’s because of the 8th amendment.

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    Mute David McDermott
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    Jan 16th 2018, 6:52 PM

    @Ciarán Masterson: the 8th forced this women to go through an unnecessary operation, which led to her death, where a pill would of sufficed. Another victim of Ireland’s archaic laws.

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    Mute Siobhán Ni Mhurchú
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    Jan 16th 2018, 7:46 PM

    @Liza Latte: not true it only works when there is no heartbeat at the early stages and an operation is the usual procedure to avoid damage to the tubes and rupturing .

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    Mute Jun Stone
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    Jan 16th 2018, 7:56 PM

    @Liza Latte: shows you what you know, the one and only answer to an ectopic pregnancy, which by the way is never ever viable, is operation to remove, there is never any other solution and this is perfectly legal and carried out in Ireland without question, what happened in this case is beyond comprehension what a disgusting lack of basic care, they should hang their heads in shame.

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    Mute Paul Culligan
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    Jan 16th 2018, 4:26 PM

    Third World Dublin.

    27
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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Jan 16th 2018, 5:27 PM

    Its disgraceful what is happening in hospitals,government needs to change its prioritys,and a minister that has political will to make changes instead of talking about it.

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    Mute Patrick j Brady
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    Jan 16th 2018, 8:01 PM

    The amount of the settlement should be made public
    ..

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    Mute Tom&Gerry
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    Jan 16th 2018, 11:54 PM

    @Patrick j Brady: Why?

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    Mute YouHaveGotToBeJoking
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    Jan 17th 2018, 8:52 AM

    No amount of money will ever replace the loss this man has had to go through. It will be with him for life. Our government should be ashamed, no doubt under staffing had a major factor on this.

    4
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