The children of a man who died from complications of a brain haemorrhage have questioned at an inquest whether their father might have survived had he been transferred sooner from Mullingar hospital, Westmeath, to Beaumont hospital, Dublin, for brain surgery.
Colleen Melwani told Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday that a doctor at Beaumont recommended her father be transferred for brain surgery immediately if his condition deteriorated. However, her father's condition worsened over a number of days before Mullingar hospital made the transfer upon the family's repeated request, she claimed.
Gobind Melwani (67), Belvedere Court, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, was admitted to Mullingar hospital following a fall on May 11th, 2005. A scan revealed a brain haemorrhage, which was initially stabilised.
However, Mr Melwani's condition worsened and he was transferred to the neurosurgical unit at Beaumont for urgent brain surgery on May 28th. But surgery was unsuccessful and he died the following day.
"If it had been caught sooner could something have been done?. . . The real issue we have is that the doctor at Beaumont stressed that if my father's condition deteriorated he be notified immediately. On the 26th he was unresponsive. On the 27th they sat him in a chair and said he was asleep but he was deteriorating," Ms Melwani said.
On the 28th, another scan was carried out at Mullingar hospital that confirmed his haemorrhage was worsening.
Darren Melwani told the court that on the 28th he repeatedly requested that hospital staff telephone Beaumont hospital to arrange a transfer. "Beaumont said No in the early hours and then all of a sudden it was a Yes," he said.
Ms Melwani said she spoke to a neurosurgeon at Beaumont several times, Mr Rawluk, who told her "my father should be transferred immediately if he deteriorates."
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest so that representatives from both hospitals could attend the resumed proceedings to address the family's concerns on June 21st. "In the interests of natural justice to the family and the hospitals, I should make an adjournment," Dr Farrell said. Both hospitals did submit medical reports to the inquest.
A spokeswoman for Mullingar hospital said they could not comment on the case as the inquest was ongoing. A spokesman for Beaumont also said the hospital could not comment until the inquest was concluded but added that the national neurosurgery centre at the hospital did sometimes experience a shortage of beds for patients.
In January, Prof Ciarán Bolger, head of research and development in neurosurgery at Beaumont, described Ireland's neurosurgery service as a "mess." He made his comments after an inquest in Dublin on a woman who died during an operation in Beaumont's neurosurgery centre.