Health watchdog to investigate deaths of six babies at hospital maternity unit
Health Minister James Reilly said the families involved will get “all the answers” they need from the inquiry, which will focus on the issues they want to be investigated.
Dr Reilly said he found last week’s episode of Prime Time on RTÉ One, which examined the deaths of four babies over six years at the hospital’s maternity unit, to be “quite disturbing”.
He said he was concerned with a lot of what he saw, “particularly the way the families were dealt with by the hospital”.
One of those families, Mark and Róisín Molloy, whose son Mark died 22 minutes after birth at the hospital on January 24, 2012, met a group of TDs and senators at Leinster House yesterday.
“All we are asking for is a public inquiry to look into the baby deaths and the babies that have been injured in that hospital,” Róisín said afterwards.
“It has been a long road to get here, but at last we do feel that somebody is listening to us, and that something will be done.”
Mark said the HSE system for investigation “failed us and failed the other parents as well”.
He said: “There has to be a full HIQA inquiry — not only on baby deaths in Portlaoise but how these were allowed to happen — from the highest levels of the HSE and why alarm bells weren’t ringing.”
He said: “There does have to be decisiveness. It’s been going on, in our case, two years. We need decisiveness, as well as being robust and quick and clear in getting to the bottom of what happened.”
Mr Reilly met with three of the families involved for six hours at the weekend, along with chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan who noted parents’ concerns.
Mr Reilly said he had asked Mr Holohan to “do a report as expeditiously as possible” which will look at the issues raised by the families. “He did take notes, and some of the issues they raised would not have occurred to him at first,” Mr Reilly said.
“I do believe then we will in all likelihood call in HIQA. In fact, I believe we will be calling in HIQA,” he said, adding that there will be “real value” in HIQA having Dr Holohan’s report.
He said: “We have a real issue to be addressed here and the families are entitled to all the questions that they require being answered.”
Mr Reilly’s announcement came just an hour after Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil that the HSE would meet all the families concerned to discuss how their legitimate complaints can be fully addressed.
“The seriousness of this is not being underestimated. Mr Reilly himself as a family doctor was struck very hard by the revelations.” Mr Kenny said during Leaders’ Questions. “Clearly, the system did not measure up here.”
Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin said there was a deliberate attempt to withhold the truth from parents: “In a situation like this we need to learn, and a fully independent inquiry is called for. I do not think that health authorities can investigate themselves,” he said.
The Oireachtas Health Committee last night welcomed the investigation by Mr Holohan, but called on Mr Reilly to “urgently clarify the scope of the investigation and the projected timeline involved”.
