Relatives of dead Monaghan baby to meet Minister

The grandfather of a premature baby girl which died shortly after arrival at Cavan General Hospital after her mother was refused admission to Monaghan General Hospital will meet the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, this afternoon to discuss the incident.

Also attending the meeting will be Mr Peader McMahon of the Monaghan Community Alliance which has been campaigning against the reduction of services at Monaghan General Hospital.

A report on the incident from the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) has been given to the independent review team set up by the minister to review the incident.

The team will consider if there were deficiencies in the protocols for dealing with emergencies at Monaghan Hospital. It is chaired by Ms Maureen Lynott, and includes Mr Sean Daly, master of the Coombe, and Ms Bridget Boyd, a clinical midwife at the Coombe. Their report is expected by this Friday.

Yesterday, Mr Jimmy Livingstone walked out of a NEHB meeting in protest at the refusal by the board on legal advice the circumstances surrounding his granddaughter's death.

decision to reduce the number junior hospital doctors at Monaghan from seven to five beginning on January 1st was yet another step in the gradual diminution of services Sinn Fein TD, Mr Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin

Mr Livingstone has also expressed dissatisfaction that the family was not asked to contribute to the independent investigation and that a copy of the health board report has not yet been given to them.

Maternity services in Monaghan were suspended in February, 2001, following recommendations from the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Fein TD, Mr Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin today condemned the further downgrading of services at the hospital which has been off-call for emergencies since July this year.

The decision to "reduce the number junior hospital doctors at Monaghan from seven to five beginning on January 1st was yet another step in the gradual diminution of services", he said.

Monaghan General Hospital after he learned that it is intended to reduce the number of junior hospital doctors at Monaghan from seven to five beginning on 1 January.

He said the new staffing arrangements would not allow Monaghan to go back on-call for surgical emergencies.