Health board refuses to comment on woman's death

The North Eastern Health Board has refused to comment on reports that a 35-year-old woman might still be alive if the accident and emergency department at Monaghan Hospital was not shut down.

Christina Knox is believed to have suffered a heart attack and died in an ambulance en route to Dundalk on Wednesday, even though Monaghan General Hospital is only six minutes from her home.

However, Monaghan Hospital has refused to accept emergency cases since July because of staff shortages.

In a statement today, the NEHB refused to comment on the matter because of "patient confidentiality", but said the ambulance crew was trained to deal with emergencies.