Tragic string of errors which led to death of pregnant dentist 'refused an abortion because Ireland was a Catholic country'

Dentist Savita Halappanavar was the victim of a catastrophic series of mistakes by hospital staff who underestimated the severity of a fatal blood infection for too long following her miscarriage.

She was 17 weeks pregnant when admitted to Galway University Hospital last October and told she would miscarry.

She and her husband Praveen Halappanavar begged hospital doctors for a termination which could have prevented the blood infection developing into septic shock but were refused on the grounds Ireland was a Catholic country.

An independent review of her case revealed that doctors caring for the 31-year-old seriously failed to investigate, recognise and treat the infection which led to her death.

Critical blood tests carried out on Ms Halappanavar were not followed up for three days while the review team could find no evidence of Savita's pulse, blood pressure or temperature being taken on her second day in hospital.

A check on these could have offered early indication of a possible blood infection.

Compounding the tragedy, Mr Halappanavar is said to be distraught about yesterday’s leaking of the report into his wife’s death before he even had a chance to look at it.

And it is claimed that the inquest into the Indian national’s death in a Galway hospital may not go ahead on April 8 as planned because requests for key documents from the HSE on behalf of Mr Halappanavar have allegedly been ignored.

Lawyer Gerald O’Donnell said he did not want to be drawn on the leaking of the HSE report but said of Praveen’s reaction to it: ‘I was with Praveen two nights after she died.

: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/