The parents of an eight-year-old girl who died in the Mercy Hospital in Cork have said they paid the "ultimate price" for inadequate consultant staff cover and inadequate equipment at the hospital.
In a statement read to Cork Circuit Cork yesterday they said they wanted to highlight how their child died at the hospital to prevent further deaths.
Mr Michael and Ms Marie O'Sullivan of Midleton, Co Cork brought a case for negligence or breach of duty against a doctor, the hospital and the Southern Health Board. They said: "We did not bring this case for money. We have no interest in money. The sum is paltry. We are solely interested in highlighting the problems that have arisen with a view to ensuring that no other child has to die," they said. Mr and Ms O'Sullivan said their daughter Lisa developed gastro-enteritis on October 14th 1995, apparently from an undercooked hamburger. Eight days later their general practitioner wanted her to be admitted to Cork University Hospital "having regard to the paediatric services available there". The GP telephoned that hospital where a night superintendent said the appropriate place for Lisa to be admitted was the Mercy Hospital. They took Lisa to the Mercy Hospital.
"On arrival there, we were met by a very young doctor who we know now was just qualified . . . There was no consultant on duty at the Mercy Hospital. There was no registrar on duty at the Mercy Hospital. We now know that the Mercy Hospital on that weekend, and indeed at other times, is covered in such situations by a consultant who is based at Cork University Hospital who must not alone cover Cork University Hospital but also covers for the Mercy Hospital. The junior doctor. . . failed to contact the consultant.
"Some hours later, when the consultant was in the hospital treating another ill child, the junior doctor showed the results of some blood tests that had come through to the consultant. The consultant immediately realised how ill our daughter was and set about trying to treat her. It was, however, at that stage too late and our daughter died at 8 p.m. on the very day she was admitted."
A barrister for the Mercy Hospital said it had offered to pay a sum of £12,827 (the maximum amount in a civil liability action for mental distress for the loss of a child) and which included funeral costs. But there was no admission of liability.