A six-year-old quadriplegic boy with a moderate mental handicap will need one-to-one care for the rest of his life.
The High Court in Dublin was told by a consultant paediatrician, Dr Hugh Monaghan, that Blaise Gallagher was unable to sit up or grasp objects. He had difficulty feeding and could not walk, speak or see.
Dr Monaghan was giving evidence in an action in which the boy, through his mother, Ms Avril Gallagher, Roundwood, Co Wicklow, is suing the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin, and an obstetrician, Dr Joseph Stanley, for alleged negligence in the circumstances of the birth of Blaise at the hospital on April 27th, 1992. Both defendants deny the claims.