'Laoise is never coming home': Father of premature baby who died following procedure speaks of 'hollow victory'

Coilín O Scolaí with his wife, Irene Kavanagh speaking to the media outside High Court. Picture: Collins Court

The father of a premature baby who died after undergoing a procedure at the Coombe Hospital has vowed to make sure no other family goes through what his family has.

Baby Laoise Kavanagh Ni Scolaí was a twin who was only 42 hours and 27 minutes old when she died after her heart was penetrated with plastic tubing while an attempt was being made to insert a chest drain eight years ago.

Yesterday, her parents settled a High Court action over her death with the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin admitting liability in the case.

Cóilín, Laoise's father, spoke of the “hollow victory” after the settlement as nothing will ever bring back his daughter.

“It's a hollow victory because our Laoise is never coming home to us,” he said.

“It's been a very distressing eight years because our grief hasn't been the normal grief.

“Most people are used to a grief that when the grandparent dies or a parent died or something like that, when a daughter dies or a son there's an extra level to it [that] I hope most people ever experience.

Mr Ó Scolaí said that following the settlement, the family was "vindicated". 

Cóilín Ó Scolaí and Irene Kavanagh with baby Laoise.

"And we reclaim some of Laoise's past because they had changed her story from somebody who was the stronger of the two, to being somebody who was the weaker of the two, because it suited their narrative when she died."

They were told she had been the weaker twin, whereas when the babies were born, they were told she was the stronger of the two.

Laoise and her twin brother Cuán were born by cesarean section on January 22, 2015. Both developed respiratory distress. They were diagnosed as having developed a build-up of air in the pleural cavity.

A decision was made to insert a chest drain to relieve pressure on the infant’s heart and lungs. Baby Laoise deteriorated quickly and, after being transferred to another hospital, she was pronounced dead at 4.45pm on January 24, 2015.

"When you see her brother, Cuán, he is so strong and healthy and tall and slender, a magnificent child, a little devil as well. But he's here with us. And he was the one that we were worried about," Mr Ó Scolaí told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

“So today, after eight years of fighting the HSE, fighting the insurance companies, their barristers, their solicitors, their whole team, the whole army that the State provides to fight against you.

"You're just trying to uncover the truth of what happened to your child or why your child died.

“We felt vindicated. Everybody knows nobody's perfect. People make mistakes. So when you do, hold up your hands and say, we've messed up, we are so sorry.

We will make sure that this never happens again. And that's what we wanted from the beginning. That's all we wanted.”

Speaking on the same show, the lawyer who represented the family said that many cases against the State could be avoided if an apology was issued.

Stuart Gilhooly, solicitor and SC, said that mandatory disclosure legislation could help.

There had been some improvements in how the State handled matters, but the system was far from perfect and far from where it needed to be.

He was hopeful that cases like that of Laoise will push through the necessary legislation.

People wanted answers and they wanted an apology. They wanted to know what happened to their loved one.

“I think if they get that plus an apology, number one, I think litigation is far less likely," Mr Gilhooly said.

"It doesn't mean it won't happen, but it's far less likely to occur.”