The HSE last night confirmed that an infant died following an emergency caesarean section, but were unable to provide any further details on the case.
Last May, former Minister for Health, James Reilly, asserted he would order a review of maternity services within the hospital following the death of three babies between 2012 and 2014, however no formal order was ever issued meaning the review was not conducted.
Commenting on the troubling statistics at the time, Dr. Reilly said: “I want to reassure people, especially women who are expecting a child, that there is a safe service in Cavan but nonetheless, given the events of the past 18 months, I want to be doubly reassured that there isn’t more to be done in order to make the service even safer.”
The infant is the fourth baby to die in the space of 30 months in this particular maternity unit.
Speaking on behalf of the HSE last night, a spokeswoman said that infant deaths can occur for a variety of reasons and medical misadventure is not neccessarily a contributing factor.
The news comes just one week after Hiqa published a damning report on maternity services in Portlaoise Hospital, the content of which is due to be discussed at the Oireachtas health committee today.
