Portlaoise baby deaths: Woman describes baby’s body being brought to her in tin box

A woman whose baby died at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise has described the moment her baby’s body was brought to her in a tin box.

Tue, 12 May, 2015 - 13:54

A woman whose baby died at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise has described the moment her baby’s body was brought to her in a tin box.

Janice Boland's first child - her daughter Caitlin - died at the hospital in 2006.

Janice and her husband were interviewed as part of a HIQA inquiry published last week, which found that the HSE failed to take appropriate action to deal with a litany of issues in the hospital, as well as cases where bereaved mothers were presented with their childrens' remains in tin boxes.

Janice told KFM: “(Hospital staff) brought her to me in a tin box on a wheelchair under a sheet.

“I asked the nurse why was she being brought to me - she wasn’t a freak. I was told it would be very upsetting for the other mothers to see the dead child.

“I explained I had never seen a dead child and that she wasn’t a freak. I got very, very upset.”

The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar will meet families who lost babies at the Midland Regional Hospital tomorrow.

A spokesperson for the Minister said Leo Varadkar wanted to hear the views of the families involved.

The meeting will take place in Portlaoise as part of a visit by the Minister to the hospital.