Family of premature baby deeply distressed by report

The family of the premature baby who died last week when her mother gave birth in an ambulance having been refused treatment at Monaghan General Hospital, have reacted angrily to the publication of an independent report into her death.

The report by an independent review panel, which was published last night, found that no attempt should have been made to transfer the baby's mother between Monaghan General and Cavan Hospital.

It also said that a midwife should have been present during the ambulance journey that took place.

This report contradicts an earlier report by the North Eastern Health Board. Baby Bronagh Livingstone's grandad, Jimmy has called on the Minister for Health and the NEHB to resign.

He said he was pleased with some of the findings of the report but deeply distressed about the manner in which his family received their copy of it last night. "I am very angry about this. On the heading of each page here [it says] 'strictly private and confidential to Denise Livingstone'. Where was the privacy or confidentiality in faxing it to Armagh City Hotel where it was seen by staff there long before we had got a fax copy of it.

"When Minister Martin is sitting down to his Christmas dinner, I wonder will he be sparing a thought for the Christmas that our family are going to have"