Academic seeking to sue hospital granted permission for PPS number challenge

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Retired US academic Thomas Regelski was granted permission to bring a High Court challenge over the failure to provide him with a Personal Public Service number, which he said he needed to sue University Hospital Limerick for alleged medical negligence. The proceedings were reported on 3 November 2020.

Mr Regelski, 79, lived in Helsinki, Finland, and was holidaying in Ireland when he was admitted to the hospital in June 2019. He claimed he was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated with antibiotics, including Levoflaxin, and steroids. He alleged that he subsequently suffered ruptures of both Achilles tendons and was confined to a wheelchair for four weeks.

He claimed national guidelines advised against combining Levoflaxin and steroids because of the risk of adverse reactions, including tendon rupture, particularly in his age group.

In his judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Mr Regelski said he had applied for a PPS number and supplied the required documentation but had not received one despite requests by his lawyers. He sought an order compelling its issue and a declaration that the failure infringed his right of access to the courts.

Mr Justice Charles Meenan granted permission for the challenge on an ex parte basis. He said he hoped the matter could be resolved before it returned to court in December.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.