A woman who presented at Monaghan General Hospital in labour yesterday ended up giving birth on the roadside after she was told she would have to travel to Cavan hospital to have her baby.
She was in an ambulance on her way to Cavan when she gave birth to a baby girl just 15 minutes into the journey. Both mother and baby were doing well in Cavan hospital last night.
The case is likely to rekindle the controversy over health services in Monaghan in the aftermath of the death of baby Bronagh Livingstone, whose mother, Denise, was told she would have to journey to Cavan to give birth even though she was in an advanced stage of labour.
She gave birth en route, to a premature baby girl, Bronagh, who died shortly afterwards.
An independent inquiry found no attempt should have been made to transfer her to Cavan given that her baby's birth was imminent.
The independent report said a team from our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda should have been requested to travel to Monaghan as quickly as possible to assist Ms Livingstone instead of her having to travel to Cavan.
Last night, however, a spokeswoman for the North Eastern Health Board insisted all procedures put in place after the Livingstone case were correctly followed yesterday afternoon.
She said the woman, who presented after 2 p.m., was taken to the treatment room, where she was seen by a senior house officer and a midwife.
"Contact was made with the registrar in obstetrics at Cavan hospital as per the protocols, and based on the information he received from Monaghan the registrar advised the lady should be transferred to Cavan," she said.
"The woman was transferred in an ambulance with a midwife and en route in Clones the baby was delivered.They then proceeded to Cavan. Both are fine.
"We are very satisfied that the protocols that were put in place were followed."
Mr Peadar McMahon, chairman of the Monaghan Hospital Community Alliance, said his group was meeting last night to discuss this latest case.
"It's another near shave. Thankfully mother and baby are fine, but if any complications had arisen on the way we would have had another disaster."
He added that staff in Monaghan were in a very difficult position since its maternity unit controversially closed.
"They are between a rock and a hard place.
"They have no maternity service so they can't keep a patient in case complications arise, and if they send a patient in an ambulance complications can also occur," he said.
The independent Monaghan TD, Mr Paudge Connolly, said no woman should ever be turned away from a hospital when in labour.
"We should have had a team travel from another hospital to meet that woman.
"We still have not met with that recommendation which was in the independent report compiled after the death of Bronagh Livingstone."