Sally Maaz (17) a Leaving Certificate student from Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo died on April 24 2020, an inquest into her death at Swinford Courthouse heard.
She had a lifelong congenital heart condition and a clot on her lung was identified post admission to Mayo University Hospital on April 14 2020.
By the time of her death in hospital ten days later, she had tested positive for covid 19 and had developed an MRSA infection.
Sally was initially admitted to the Emergency Department at MUH suffering from severe back pain on April 14 2020.
In his statement, her father Abudul Maaz said his daughter had been advised to isolate at home after she had been discharged from MUH where she was treated in ICU between March 23 and March 27.
On April 14, Miss Maaz was in pain and asked her father for help.
“She said ‘Daddy I am too sick, I have too much back pain. Please bring me to hospital.’ That was the first time she’d ever asked to go to hospital. She said she wanted to stay there until she felt normal,” Mr Maaz said.
Hospital visits were restricted due to covid. The family kept in touch with Sally on Facetime. Before Sally died, the family were allowed in to see her.
“Sally was happy, she was seeing us after a week (in hospital). I told her she is a fighter and she must keep fighting,” Mr Maaz said in his statement.
Nurse Margaret Casey Burke was with Sally when she died shortly after 2am on April 24.
Nurse Burke said Sally was restful and sleeping and there was no indication that she was close to death.
“Around 2am I saw her hand move and I went into her room. She asked the date and the time and said it was the beginning of Ramadan. She said she was hungry and asked for cornflakes and orange juice,” Nurse Burke said.
She took two spoons of cornflakes and a sip of juice and then passed away, the nurse said.
“I appreciate it was difficult for the family, because of covid. End of life is a priority for us, we made time for them (our patients). We were anxious and nervous of people coming into us,” Ms Burke said.
The inquest heard that after she was triaged in the ED on April 14, Sally was moved to a covid ward, as per hospital protocol, where suspected covid patients awaiting covid test results were treated alongside covid positive patients. Sally was then moved to a non covid ward following her initial negative covid swab result on April 15.
Three swabs were taken following Sally’s admission to hospital. The first swab taken on April 14 was negative. The result of a second swab taken on April 16 was undetermined. A third swab on April 17 returned a positive result on April 19. A subsequent retest of the April 16 swab was found to be positive.
It is not clear if Miss Maaz contracted the disease before she entered hospital but the inquest heard that none of her family, originally from Syria but living in Ballyhaunis, tested positive for covid at any time during March or April 2020.
Consultant Microbiologist Shomik Sibartie was asked by Coroner Pat O’Connor when he thought Sally had contracted the disease.
“I think personally it was a few days before she came to the hospital and then she was intubating the virus,” Dr Sibartie said.
However Dr Sibartie agreed with the Coroner that this was speculation.
“I could be wrong,” he said.
The inquest heard from Detective Sergeant Michael Doherty who gave evidence that on May 1 2020 he was on duty at Castlebar Garda Station when Jemima Burke and her mother Martina Burke made a complaint about the treatment of Sally Maaz at MUH.
Det Sgt Doherty said the Burkes wanted a criminal investigation.
Proceedings were interrupted at this point as Jemima Burke spoke from the public gallery.
She said Det Sgt Doherty had not outlined ‘the full truth of what happened in the Garda Station that day.’
“The record must be corrected as to why we visited the station, the statement must be corrected,” Jemima Burke said. Martina Burke said that Gardai ‘must bring full truth to this inquest.’
“We have been mentioned in this statement. We reported what we heard to the Garda Station. It is not being spoken of here today. It is being hidden from the public,” Ms Burke said.
The Coroner described these interruptions as ‘outrageous.’“Your allegations are not founded on any fact whatsoever, you are upsetting the family,” the Coroner said.
The two women were escorted from the inquest by Gardai.
The hearing resumed and heard that Sally was diagnosed with a blood clot on her lung following a chest x-ray. Her condition continued to deteriorate before a palliative care team was put in place.
Consultant Physician Prof Tom O’Malley said he thought the clot on Sally’s lung was a symptom of covid 19.
“The main thing was the pulmonary embolism which was a huge factor that can kill a patient very quickly. It had a major effect on her heart function and I think it is what tipped the balance,” Prof O’Malley said.
The Coroner asked if treatment plans for patients coming into the hospital were based on a national covid plan.
“Yes, there were national guidelines issued on a regular basis and you had to adhere to them as best you could, but then deal with your own situation,” Prof O’Malley replied.
“Adherence to the guidelines as much as possible was the aim,” he said.