More women claiming they underwent damaging gynaecological operations have come forward since the Medical Council decision last week that obstetrician Dr Michael Neary should be struck off the medical register.
Dr Neary was found guilty by the council of professional misconduct after the removal of the wombs from 10 patients at Our Lady's Hospital, Drogheda.
Until last week, 100 women had come forward to the patient support group, Patient Focus, most of whom said they had undergone Caesarian hysterectomies. However, since the council finding, the group has heard from six more women.
Ms Sheila O'Connor of Patient Focus said there could be other women who had undergone these damaging operations and who had not contacted anybody.
"We just don't know how many women there are. We still think there are a good few more out there," she said.
The six women who had come forward over the last week included two or three women who had Caesarian hysterectomies, she said.
The vast majority of the 100 women had Caesarian hysterectomies but others said they had different gynaecological procedures which were coarsely done,including the removal of ovaries, she said.
Ms O'Connor said 80 women had already gone to their solicitors about taking civil cases and about 60 had full medical records. "There is a problem in that 30 medical files are missing," she said. These women had pathology notes but no medical reports, which were kept separately.
"We now believe that those women whose medical files are missing do have a legal remedy but first we want to take the cases that have the full medical documentation and are ready to go on. But the others will be going ahead," Ms O'Connor stated.
Many of the files were old. The maternity unit was separate from the general hospital and when the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) took over, nothing was computerised. They were all in a dusty, dark room. The storage was the equivalent of a garage area, she said.
They did find many files when the NEHB brought in people especially to catalogue them.
Ms O'Connor said that not all the files, however, were old, as some dated as recently as 1998 were missing.
"There are still a significant number of files missing. Nobody knows if they were removed or if it is due to inefficiency," she said.
The women also want an independent judicial inquiry held in public and a compensation tribunal.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has indicated that he will meet the women to discuss their wishes.
Dr Neary has 21 days to lodge an appeal against the Medical Council findings.
At that stage, the council intends to appeal to the High Court for an order to have his name erased from the register of medical practitioners.