Medical service must be provided
This is a belated response to the death this week of the 30-day-old baby boy who died in Waterford Regional Hospital from loss of blood, after he was circumcised on a kitchen table at his home.
It is not just about providing a service for asylum seekers; there are many people resident in this country of Jewish and Muslim origin who believe for religious or cultural reasons that baby boys should be circumcised as soon a possible.
Provisions have to be made for people with such strong convictions.
"People are being forced to go to backstreet butchers," warned Dr Maurice Gueret of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. This was a tragedy that should never have happened because there was already a warning of the dangers.
In July 2001, the child of another Nigerian family was saved from a similar death after being rushed to Temple Street Children's hospital in time.
The pity was that the health services did not learn from that near tragedy.
