Gardaí have confirmed that a file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions on the death of a retired schoolteacher at Cavan General Hospital. Rose Duke (72) died at the hospital in November 2003, three days after she was admitted.
Ms Duke, from Earlsvale Place in Cavan town, presented at Cavan General on November 9th, 2003, complaining of abdominal pain, chest pain and vomiting. Two days later she was operated on for an incarcerated hernia but she died on November 12th.
Her death was investigated by HSE medical adviser Dr Finbar Lennon and subsequently by Prof Michael Keighley, retired professor of surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. He found that Ms Duke's death probably could have been avoided if treatment had been provided earlier.
An inquest into Ms Duke's death at Cavan Coroner's Court was adjourned last month following a request by local gardaí. Coroner Dr Mary Flanagan rescheduled the inquest to October 18th, so that the DPP has sufficient time to make a decision on the case.
At an earlier inquest hearing, a solicitor for Ms Duke's next of kin expressed concern at the circumstances surrounding the death. Brendan Muldowney also questioned the circumstances surrounding the registration of the death and asked why a postmortem was not carried out. High Court proceedings have been initiated in the case.
