Inquest into woman who died after giving birth in Cork 'must be held as soon as possible'

The Elephant Collective said that mandatory inquests in maternal deaths are required "especially maternal deaths which are occurring disproportionately amongst women of colour compared with the general childbearing population”

Geraldine Yankeu's death is due for hearing and will be listed for hearing as soon as a suitable date becomes available.” Photo: Forevermissed.com

The National Women’s Council is calling for the inquest into the death of a Cameroonian woman after childbirth in Cork to be held “as soon as possible”.

Geraldine Yankeu died on August 8 last year at Cork University Maternity Hospital, some days after the stillbirth of her daughter.

Last Thursday, the Irish Examiner was told by the Cork City Coroner’s office that the deaths of both Ms Yankeu and her daughter Mary “were treated as natural and no inquest was required”.

However, on Monday, a statement from the office said: “Baby Mary Yankeu’s death was treated as a “Natural Death”. Ms Geraldine Yankeu’s death is due for hearing and will be listed for hearing as soon as a suitable date becomes available.” 

Since the introduction of the 2019 Coroners Act, inquests into maternal deaths — during and after giving birth — are mandatory. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, the National Women’s Council said it wants an inquest into the death “as soon as possible”.

The statement said: “As a society we must be able to understand why a young woman died days after a stillbirth. This is important so that we can prevent deaths like Geraldine's in the future. 

"NWC is concerned by poorer maternal outcomes in general for migrant women. Since 2019, all maternal deaths must be investigated by a coroner and it is critical that there are no further delays to Geraldine’s case review."

The Irish Examiner submitted a query to the Cork City Coroner’s Office, seeking details on the length of time inquests take to come to hearing. However, there has been no response.

The Elephant Collective, which campaigned for the introduction of mandatory inquests for maternal deaths, has now written to the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, to raise concerns about Ms Yankeu’s inquest.

The letter, written by one of the group’s founders, Dr Jo Murphy-Lawless, wrote that mandatory inquests in maternal deaths are required “if we are to get to grips with the systemic malfunctions in our maternity services leading to maternal deaths and most especially maternal deaths which are occurring disproportionately amongst women of colour compared with the general childbearing population”.

Of the 13 maternal death inquests held in Ireland between 2007 and 2022, six related to the deaths of women from different ethnic backgrounds.

Last Thursday, the Irish Examiner was told by the Cork City Coroner’s office that the deaths of both Ms Yankeu and her daughter Mary “were treated as natural and no inquest was required”. Photos Forevermissed.com

She is also asking Minister McEntee to continue with reform to the Coroners Act 2019, particularly calling for a statutory obligation ensuring that coroners’ reports are published in full to help prevent future deaths.

Meanwhile, the NWC has also expressed concern about a recommendation from the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme seeking to limit homebirths to women who live within 30 minutes of a maternity hospital.

The NWC said: “While patient safety must always be the paramount consideration, the revised model of care should do its utmost to ensure women's choices are supported and facilitated at all stages of pregnancy and childbirth."