Inquiry into baby's death

Irish Health Minister Micheal Martin has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of a premature baby whose mother was refused access to Monaghan Hospital.

The hospital's maternity services were controversially suspended last year.

The baby girl's 32-year-old mother, Denise Livingstone, was taken to the hospital, close to the border with Northern Ireland, at about 0530 GMT on Wednesday.

She was in an advanced state of labour.

Micheal Martin has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances

However, because the hospital no longer has maternity services, Ms Livingstone was put in an ambulance and driven 25 miles to Cavan Hospital.

En route, she gave birth prematurely but the baby, which has been named Bronagh, died shortly after arriving in Cavan.

The death has angered those campaigning to keep Monaghan Hospital fully opened.

'Sympathies'

It is understood part of the review ordered by Mr Martin will focus on an allegation that a nurse was sought to travel with the mother in the ambulance but the Monaghan Hospital was unable to provide one.

The health minister said the maternity unit had been closed down on safety grounds.

"I think it is a very traumatic and distressing event for the family in the first instance and my sympathies go to the mother and father and the wider family of the baby who has died," he said.

It is a tragedy as a direct result of the downgrading of services

Paudge Connolly
Independent TD

He said that in an emergency there "should be protocols in place to facilitate situations like this and that is an area that I will be seeking clarification of".

"I don't want to pre-empt the report that's under way at this moment in relation to ascertaining exactly what happened in terms of the sequence of events, and in particular why the lady in question wasn't admitted to the hospital or why there wasn't a full complement of people in the ambulance on the way to Cavan hospital."

Paudge Connolly, an independent member of the Irish parliament for Cavan and Monaghan, said the incident was a tragedy.

In this year's general election, he was elected on a ticket of saving services there.

"It is a tragedy as a direct result of the downgrading of services and, in this case, maternity services at Monaghan General Hospital," he said.

'Shocked'

Mr Connolly said it was possible the baby could have been saved if she had been brought into the hospital.

"The staff there weren't permitted under protocol to admit this lady and the only option was to bring her by ambulance to Cavan General Hospital," he said.

"I spoke to the minister about this situation yesterday.

"I have to say that I think the minister was shocked that these things are happening in Monaghan and he has ordered an inquiry."

In a statement, the North Eastern Health Board offered its deepest sympathy to the family on the loss of their baby.

"Full support is being and will continue to be offered to the family who will be kept fully informed of the outcome of this review," it said.

Sinn Fein's Caoimhghin O'Caolain, who also represents Cavan and Monaghan in parliament, said it was a mistake to have closed Monaghan's maternity unit.