Parents and families gathered outside the Dáil this week to call for a national inquiry into the deaths of mothers and babies, and injuries suffered by newborns in maternity units in Ireland.
Campaigners for better maternity services, on Wednesday launched a national campaign urging Taoiseach Simon Harris to hold a Commission of Investigation into avoidable deaths of mothers and babies in Irish hospitals. An alliance comprising Safer Births Ireland, the Birth Rights Alliance and a number of other groups formally launched their call for a national inquiry during the event at Leinster House hosted by TD Roisin Shortall.
The group, made up of mothers and families who have been bereaved, said that a “staggering” number of children have not been able to live a life due to the care they received in maternity units, leaving a life-lasting impact on parents and families left behind.
At least 45 babies have died and at least 29 mothers have died since 2013, the group has said.
“Countless more mothers and babies have been injured. Despite all the lessons the health services say are being and have been learned, the same mistakes are happening over and over,” Safer Births Ireland said on Wednesday.
They say “history is repeating itself,” as they called for a national inquiry to be established.
The alliance includes medical negligence experts, barrister Lisa Ann Wilkinson, and lawyer Caoimhe Haughey, and has said it wants deaths and injuries on maternity wards as far back as 2013 investigated.
CM Haughey Solicitors, who were present at Leinster House on Wednesday, echoed claims from campaigers present that “our maternity system is broken.”
One parent present on Tuesday was co-founder of Safer Births Ireland, Lisa Duffy, who tragically lost her baby son, Luke, at Portlaoise Hospital in 2018.
A verdict of Medical Misadventure was later recorded during a 2022 inquest into baby Luke’s death.
Luke’s death was officially recorded as an intrapartum death, which is when a baby dies after the onset of labour but before they are born. Ms Duffy, who spoke to Gript in February, has called for a national independent maternity-commissioned inquiry to take place in Ireland.
The bereaved mother says the tragedy of Luke’s death has been exacerbated by an investigative process she says is “unfair” and lacks transparency, adding that she is not aware if anyone has ever been held to account for her son’s death.
During a presentation in Leinster House on Wednesday, Safer Births Ireland played an emotional video featuring dozens of images of the mothers and babies who have died or injured in Irish hospitals.
The campaign group thanked the parents who attended, describing support for the campaign as “phenomenal.”
“As Stardust families went into the Dail ahead of us to receive their long-awaited, well-deserved State apology, next we embarked on calling on our government to do right by our children and mothers whose lives matter,” the group said, adding that they hoped change in the maternity care system is imminent.
In a statement ahead of this week’s launch, the alliance said it “does not trust the Minister to take this matter seriously,” and that the State needs to find out why “history is repeating itself.”
The Portlaoise baby scandal, which broke on RTE in January 2014, came after five baby deaths at Portlaoise hospital between 2006 and 2012. The scandal prompted then-Health Minister James O’Reilly and then-Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan to meet parents affected. Matters were compounded by the fact parents had to fight just to secure answers around the tragedies.
The landmark report found that staff at the hospital had failed to spot fetal distress in time, while other issues included inappropriate prescription of labour-inducing drugs. Delays in delivery and the inability to properly monitor fetal heart rates were other issues uncovered in the report.
A lack of available obstetric staff or timely obstetric opinion was also a factor raised, while training and neglect of basic procedures were also flagged.
Parents say that a decade on, history is repeating itself. Safer Births Ireland claims that in recent years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of avoidable baby deaths and maternal deaths in Ireland, while children have also suffered lifelong injuries caused by negligence or malpractice during childbirth.
They say tragedies have been compounded by an “unfair and unjust” investigative process that “lacks transparency and accountability.”
A letter hand delivered to the Taoiseach’s office on Wednesday contained 635 signatures calling for a commission of investigation into maternal and baby deaths and birth injuries. Meanwhile, a petition campaign launched by Safer Births Ireland is nearing close to 2,000 online signatures.
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Minister for Health Simon Harris was responsible for removing the annual healthcare funds and giving them to the baby-killing brigade instead. Now he’s Taoiseach – don’t hold your breath for Government help. Election time is now!
Unless we have some details about each of these deaths it is impossible to even suggest that they are due to negligence. I have had two friends die after childbirth, one after the birth of her first child and the other a few days after she gave birth to her second child. There are going to be some deaths of mothers and some of newborn babies – especially in the case of premature babies – even in the situation of the best medical care but these have fallen considerably over the past century.
However, if standards have fallen in maternity hospitals like they have in other hospitals in Ireland, there may well be some deaths that could have been prevented. The problem is with the whole government health sector. Doctors and nurses should be free to get on with treating and caring for people with a mininum of government interference and especially not from clueless ministers of health.
best of luck ,more chance of micheal martin and gangers spending your money in another country for similiar issue and invite half the population of that country to housing schools hospidals transport here for Free or Tax Free.,as they say in cork Alright Boy sure were the Best Country In The World For Freebies.
Simon Harris was an idiot as a Minister… as indicated by Micheál Martin. Still Martin votes for an idiot to be Taoiseach! Pure dishonesty and anti-people!
#l
They will never see justice until the regime is gone. Interestingly enough freemason martin said that the people who he called militants this time, see the government as a regime that needs to be over thrown. Truest words that ever came out of his mouth, the regime does need to be over throne but instead of taking the hint, he uses it as a weapon. Well done to newtown, the black n tans were out again today with barricades. https://www.bitchute.com/video/NpspM2DH8DsF/