The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, was last night urged to intervene directly to address public concern at the care being provided at Cavan General Hospital following the death of a nine-year-old girl two week after she underwent an appendix operation there. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent, reports
The call from Cavan/Monaghan TD Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain came after the North Eastern Health Board, which runs the hospital, confirmed it had established a team to review the circumstances surrounding the child's death.
Frances Sheridan from Cootehill had been recuperating at home from the routine operation when she experienced stomach pains on Friday. She was brought back to the hospital and was seen in the casualty department, X-rayed and sent home. She awoke on Sunday morning vomiting blood and an ambulance was called by her family. But she was dead before it had arrived.
In a separate incident, concerns were also raised last night at the death of a Longford baby who was taken by his parents to the Longford/Westmeath Hospital in Mullingar on Saturday night with a high temperature but was sent home. He had to be brought back to the hospital early yesterday, and died within hours of bacterial meningitis.
A spokeswoman for the Midland Health Board said the 16-month-old "did not show the usual symptoms" when seen in casualty on Saturday night. The coroner for Cavan Mr Paul Kelly confirmed yesterday that he had directed a post-mortem take place. He consulted with the gardai, he said, adding that it was normal for all sudden deaths to be reported to the Garda authorities. "We decided after consultation to ask the State Pathologist to conduct the post-mortem. We decided this was the best thing to do, that it was better to have it done out of Cavan," he said.
The results of the post-mortem were awaited last night. There have been concerns locally about the hospital's inability to provide continuity of care to patients since the suspension of two consultant surgeons last August. Dr William Joyce and Dr Pawan Rajpal were suspended without pay because of severe interpersonal difficulties. Both have gone to the High Court to have their suspensions lifted.
The Minister for Health was asked by the health board to immediately establish an inquiry into their suspensions. However, six months on the inquiry has not yet begun. The medical board of Cavan hospital has sought a meeting with Mr Martin to discuss the delay. The NEHB's chief executive, Mr Paul Robinson, extended the board's sympathy to the Sheridan family "on their tragic loss". He said the review will cover the period from the child's first contact with the hospital on January 7th.
The inquiry team will include Mr Gerry Clerkin, risk adviser, Cavan/Monaghan Hospital Group; Mr Conor Egleston, A&E consultant at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; retired consultant paediatrician Dr Brian McDonagh; and Ms Julie Sheridan, paediatric clinical nurse manager at Cavan hospital.