THE GROUP representing the majority of thalidomide survivors in the State has called on the Department of Health to immediately open all its files in relation to how it handled the withdrawal of the drug that caused their disabilities.
The call from the Irish Thalidomide Association comes after new information was uncovered in the National Archives on what the cabinet was told in 1973 and 1974 about the withdrawal of the drug.
Finola Cassidy, spokeswoman for the association, said the information revealed in the National Archives files was “shocking” and confirmed her group’s worst fears about the mindset of politicians and civil servants at the time, who saw victims of the thalidomide scandal as a “problem” to be disposed of.
The documentation, she said, also made it clear that those in government at the time did not expect thalidomide victims to live long when it was agreed to make payouts to their parents in 1974.
A cabinet memo noted monthly contributions to victims would diminish “as the beneficiaries died”.
Ms Cassidy said it was likely that there was a lot more information in Department of Health files about the drug and about why a warning was not issued to Irish women as soon as the drug was withdrawn in December 1961-January 1962 by its German manufacturer. She urged the department to voluntarily disclose those files to the association so the full story could become clear.
The association, which is seeking an apology from the State as well as increased compensation given the disabilities its members have to deal with in later life, is to meet Minister for Health Mary Harney next week.
Ms Cassidy said the association would raise the issue of the undisclosed files at the meeting.
Last December it emerged that the British government was planning to offer an apology and a further £20 million (€22.6 million) in compensation to its 466 thalidomide survivors. This was on top of an earlier, more generous settlement reached with British victims in the 1970s.
Ms Harney says she has asked the State Claims Agency to assess the association’s requests in the context of Irish and international provisions for victims of thalidomide and in the context of Irish case law and precedent.
She is expecting a report from the agency shortly.
There are 32 thalidomide survivors in the State. The Irish Thalidomide Association represents the majority of these.