Consultant obstetrician Nóirín Russell says routine fetal anomaly scans for all pregnant women should be a basic standard of care and must be implemented without delay    

Consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist Keelin O’Donoghue did not anticipate that in 2017, despite years of personal engagement on the issue, Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) would still not be able to provide access to fetal anomaly ultrasound scans for all pregnant women

There is no easy way to tell parents at any stage of pregnancy that their baby has a severe fetal abnormality and may die in the hours or days after birth. But delivering a late diagnosis only adds to the trauma and grief. So say the doctors and parents who spoke to Health Correspondent Catherine Shanahan about the importance of a 20-week fetal anomaly scan.