The widower of a Cork woman who died of cervical cancer, four years after being being told there was no evidence of abnormality in a smear slide, has settled a High Court Action.
Mother of five, Elaine Flannery from Blarney, was just 59 years of age when she died from meta-static cervical cancer in October 2014.
An issue in the action was a smear slide from Elaine Flannery taken in November 2010 under the CervicalCheck programme which was reported as having no abnormality detected.
Two years later, she was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer and despite treatment, died in 2014.
Elaine Flannery's husband David, who had sued the HSE, settled his action for €675,000. The High Court was told the settlement is without an admission of liability.
Once the High Court action was over, the Flannery family stood outside the Four Courts as Eamon Flannery read a statement on behalf of her widower David
He said the proceedings marked the end of a mediation process where there was a measure of financial compensation but "not one word of an apology". Eamon said "Just a simple form of sorry for our enormous loss and for the heartbreaking pain caused would have sufficed."
Elaine's husband David was supported in court by five adult children, including the singer/songwriter Mick Flannery and two grandchildren.
Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of her death.
