The North-Eastern Health Board (NEHB) was deliberately creating a situation where maternity and paediatric services would no longer be provided at "consultant-starved" Monaghan General Hospital, the High Court was told yesterday.
A consultant obstetrician had warned that the removal of inpatient maternity facilities created an unacceptably high risk to pregnant women, their babies and gynaecological patients, the court heard.
Mr Justice Kelly granted leave to Mr Eoghan Fitzsimons SC, for four local married women, to take a judicial review challenging the NEHB decision to suspend from March 1st last, until further notice, in-patient maternity services at the hospital. The four applicants are: Ms Shauna Tierney, McCurtain Street, Clones; Ms Maura Sherlock, Tirnaskea, Tydavnet; Ms Brenda McAnespie, Lakeview, Emyvale, and Ms Sharon O'Neill, Oriel Park, Emyvale.
In an affidavit, Ms McAnes pie, a mother of five who is expecting her sixth child, said she wanted maternity and paediatric services to be provided at Monaghan. She said the NEHB had made "concerted efforts" to make Cavan a more attractive hospital for maternity services. The board's actions denied viability to Monaghan and made it "consultant-starved".
In November 2000 the Condon Report had recommended that maternity in-patient services must be led by a minimum of three consultants.
Mr Alphonsus Kennedy, the consultant obstetrician at Monaghan, then notified the board, in light of the Condon Report, that he felt unable to provide a safe level of obstetric services.
The board's insurers indicated that they would not provide indemnity for the mater nity units at Monaghan and Dundalk unless certain measures were implemented by the end of February 2001.