Ulcer death family urge hospital reform

The family of a 75-year-old farmer who died from a bleeding ulcer in Monaghan Hospital after three failed attempts to transfer him for emergency surgery tonight demanded permanent theatre services to be restored to the centre.

Patrick Joseph Walsh died in the early hours of Friday as he waited for a bed. As no operations can be carried out in Monaghan outside of normal working hours, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Following demands from the Walsh family, Tánaiste Mary Harney said she would be willing to meet relatives of the semi-retired farmer to discuss his tragic death.

Mr Walsh had been in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda for three weeks where he underwent surgery for a broken hip and a procedure to treat a bleeding ulcer.

He was transferred by ambulance to Monaghan hospital last Thursday but within hours staff realised he needed emergency surgery to stop his ulcer bleeding further.

Phyllis Hughes, sister of the late Mr Walsh who travelled from America on Friday to visit her brother, called for the hospital to be restored to full working hours.

“I am very upset about this, this hospital has to be put back into action and have staff around the clock to help these people. Are the people of Co Monaghan going to all die because they have no theatre in the Monaghan Hospital from five o’clock in the evening until eight the next morning,” she told RTE Radio.

Mrs Hughes said she wanted to see the hospital opened up and no longer restricted to dealing with outpatients.

She asked: “Why isn’t it being used fully round the clock? That’s what I would like to see done.”

The Health Services Executive has ordered a report into the death. Mr Walsh was buried on Sunday.

Mrs Hughes said that Mr Walsh’s son and nephew could not speak because they were so upset about the death.

She said her brother was transfused with several units of blood before he died. She said that the blood was being pumped into him and coming out of his mouth.

“The man died a very cruel death. You would not let an animal die the way this man died. This was the horriblest death I have ever heard of,” Mrs Hughes said.

“My family can do nothing more. His son can’t even open his mouth to talk today, he’s in shock. He saw his father die with the blood running out of his mouth, he never saw anything like that in his life.”

Mrs Hughes said she could not accept the death of her older brother as surgery could have saved his life.

“This death I don’t accept because he was in a hospital and he should have been taken care of,” she said.

The family called for full surgical services, which were removed in 2002 and put back in a part-time basis in January of this year, to be restored.

“I believe that Monaghan is a fine hospital and if they had a theatre there why did they not use it. Did he have to be transported?” she asked.

“These other hospitals said they had no beds. Drogheda hospital should have said I’ll accept him back, bring him back if they had nothing to use in Monaghan.

“They can only work in Monaghan Hospital from eight o’clock in the morning until five. If you get sick at six o’clock in the evening then you are finished, you can’t go into the operating room.”

She demanded to know: “What is wrong with the system?”

Mrs Hughes added the hospital had not contacted the family about the incident.