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Autopsy nightmare for Buncrana
family
03.12.09
by Linda McGrory
THE grieving parents of a baby boy who died in
Inishowen had to personally carry the infant's
remains for autopsy to Dublin because there is no
paediatric pathologist in Co Donegal.
The two-week old infant passed away in his sleep on
November 24, 2009. The young mother and father were
then forced, later that day, to endure a five-hour
mini-bus journey with the child's coffin from their
home in Buncrana to a Dublin hospital where a post
mortem was undertaken. In accordance with procedure,
the couple who have one other child, were
accompanied on their journey by a local garda
sergeant. |
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The case has prompted
Donegal coroner Dr John Madden to write to Donegal
County Council demanding a resolution to the
"extremely unfair" system currently in place.
In a letter addressed to the Donegal county
secretary, dated November 24, 2009, Dr Madden |
writes: "I wrote to you a
couple of years ago about the problem arising from
having to arrange autopsies for infants and small
children. Nothing has happened.
"I have been told by the pathologist in Our Lady's
Hospital in Crumlin that they will entertain no more
such requests for autopsies from me or any other
Donegal coroner and if Temple Street decides the
same, there will be no-one who can do them."
Dr Madden's letter continues: "Even if Our Lady's
Hospital or Temple Street did continue to do them
(infant autopsies), it is extremely unfair and
traumatic for a parent who has just lost a child to
have to accompany the dead body to Dublin and back
for autopsy."
Dr Madden who is a GP in Carndonagh, Co Donegal,
went on in his letter to call for a link-up
arrangement for infant autopsies between Letterkenny
General Hospital and hospitals in the North.
"I feel that we need to make some arrangement with
the pathologists across the border and that we need
to do this as soon as possible," said Dr Madden.
Buncrana councillor, Rena Donaghey, who knows the
family in question, last night described the current
system as "a disgrace". |
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"As if it wasn't enough
that this young couple were trying to cope with
their grief, they then had to endure a five-hour
journey with their child's body to Dublin. They then
had to stay overnight in Dublin and didn't get home
to arrange their child's funeral until late the
following night. This is the second time in as many
years this has happened in the Inishowen area and
something has to be done about it. No other parents
should have to go through what this young couple had
to go through," said Cllr Donaghey. |
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A HSE spokesperson last
night said that, in the event of an unexpected
infant death, it is the responsibility of the
coroner to source a paediatric pathologist.
"In the Republic, the nearest paediatric pathologist
to Donegal is based in Dublin. The HSE’s role is to
provide the use of facilities to the Department of
Justice at its hospitals to allow post mortems to be
carried out," said the spokesperson. |
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