Hospital fatality: There is no excuse for anybody dying unnecessarily regardless of what policy operates in a particular hospital, the Minister for Health Mary Harney said yesterday.
She was responding to concerns about the death of a 75-year-old man at Monaghan General Hospital on Friday after attempts to transfer him to three other hospitals for emergency surgery failed.
Patrick Joseph Walsh from Aghafad, Killanny, Carrickmacross, had a bleeding ulcer but could not be operated on at Monaghan hospital as it is not allowed carry out emergency surgery.
Attempts to transfer him to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Cavan General Hospital and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on Thursday failed as they had no intensive care beds available. He died early the following day.
The following day Mr Walsh's family called for an inquiry, claiming he should never have died. Ms Harney said the Health Service Executive (HSE) was investigating and she hoped its investigation would be a speedy one. "I want to express my sympathy to the family of the late Patrick Walsh. It's a dreadful tragedy," she said.
Ms Harney added that all questions in relation to services and facilities available at different hospitals were now a matter for the HSE to determine. "Regardless of what policy operates in a particular hospital there is no excuse for anybody dying unnecessarily because they can't get access to appropriate medical care and I want to see the outcome of the HSE investigation into this matter." She said she would meet the Walsh family.
Mr Walsh, a semi-retired farmer, broke his hip three weeks ago and was admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. His hip was operated on and while there he also underwent a procedure to treat a bleeding ulcer, his nephew Edward Walsh said. Then he was transferred by ambulance to Monaghan hospital last Thursday - a the day before his death.
Edward Walsh claimed his uncle was very weak and "wasn't fit to be moved from Drogheda" on Thursday. What happened his uncle was "absolutely disgraceful", he said.
Phyllis Hughes, a sister of the dead man said yesterday her brother died a very cruel death. As he was receiving a blood transfusion it was coming out his mouth, she said. "You wouldn't let an animal die the way this man died," she said.
She said another of her brothers died when attacked by a bull last year. "That kind of a death I accept, but this death I don't accept because he was in a hospital and he should have been taken care of." She said Monaghan hospital has to be allowed do emergency surgery.
Furthermore, Mrs Hughes, who now lives in the US, said she recently attended a function in New York attended by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and he said the best technology in the world was in Ireland at this time, and people should return home.
"Pick up your shoes and come home to Ireland - and technology can't fix a bleeding ulcer! Come on, I am very upset about this," she said.
Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy said many smaller acute hospitals such as those in Ennis, Ballinasloe, Mallow and Bantry were allowed do emergency surgery and she couldn't understand why Monaghan had been "singled out" and not allowed do the same.
She said local doctors would be writing to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland inviting it to visit Monaghan hospital and assess the situation.