University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) has said it is investigating the death of a five-year-old boy who was admitted with stomach pains last week and had an operation to remove his appendix.
The hospital has said it will also be asking an independent team to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of Christy McDonagh of Beal Srutha, Ballybane, who would have been six years old next March.
However, the boy's family says it has not been given any explanation or information. "We are absolutely devastated, and we need answers as to how a healthy child could have died in this way," Ms Julia Sweeney, a first cousin of the boy's father, told The Irish Times.
Mr Christy McDonagh snr and his wife, Annie, were being consoled by relatives yesterday, a day after their son's funeral. Parents of four young children and members of the Travelling community, they are expecting their fifth child in January.
Ms Sweeney, a prominent member of the Galway Travellers' Support Group, said Christy had been in very good health and was attending school.
He was taken to the doctor last week with stomach pains and was put on medication.
"It was thought that he had the winter vomiting bug, but he wasn't getting any better, and his father brought him into casualty at UCHG on Wednesday," Ms Sweeney said.
The child was sent home but brought back on Thursday night and was seen early on Friday morning by a doctor, Ms Sweeney said. "He was taken to paediatrics and operated on for suspected appendicitis. The operation seemed to have gone OK, and he was brought back to paediatrics. He asked for a drink of water, and next thing he was being rushed to intensive care.
"They called in the parents, and Christy's mother was there when they were trying to revive her son and saw him die."
A post-mortem has been carried out, but the results are not yet available.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Western Health Board said that UCHG offered its sincere condolences to the family.
"UCHG is investigating all aspects surrounding this incident," the statement said, adding that it normally did not comment on individual patient cases. The hospital would also be asking an independent team to look into the case, the statement said.