Date set for Praveen Halappanavar damages case

Praveen Halappanavar’s case against the HSE will be heard on March 10 next year and is expected to run for three days.

The medical negligence case follows the death of 31-year old Savita Halappanavar three years ago. She was pregnant with her first child when she presented at University College Hospital in Galway with pains. She died a week later — on October 28, 2012 — after miscarrying and contracting E coli, leading to septic shock.

A subsequent inquest heard that she had repeatedly asked for a termination. But because a heartbeat was detected and the fact that her life did not appear to be in danger at that time, an abortion could not be carried out under the law.

A review into the handling of her case found that "inadequate assessment and monitoring" were contributory factors in her death.

Savita’s husband Praveen will travel home from the US for the three-day hearing, which will begin on March 10 next year.

His solicitor Gerard O’Donnell said that Mr Halappanavar, who has been living in the United States where he is carrying out a project for his employers Boston Scientific, will return to Ireland for the hearing.

“An application was made to the High Court and the case has now been fixed for hearing for March 10th and we will be in for three days for a hearing. Mr Halappavanar will be coming home from America for that and hopefully we will have the case heard and dealt with then.

“It will be for compensation for Mr Halappanavar for all that he went through in losing his wife and all the upset and distress which that caused.

“The court was very accomodating and once we made the application they facilitated us and Mr Halappanavar in coming back from America,” said Mr O’Donnell.