Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this serious and sad issue. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Brady, for being here. I hope the seriousness and sensitivity of the matter will be reflected in a constructive response.

Recently a two-week-old infant died in his sleep in my constituency, which was a trauma for the young couple involved, who have another child. As is the case in all incidents of sudden death, a post mortem was needed. It was assumed they would have been able to travel to Letterkenny or somewhere nearby to carry out the post mortem. However, they had to accompany the wee white coffin on a minibus with a local garda on a five-hour journey to Dublin for a post mortem because a paediatric pathologist is not available in County Donegal.

I do not say there should be a paediatric pathologist in every hole in a hedge throughout the country but Galway and Dublin currently have the two closest available pathologists. The local coroner, Dr. Madden, has highlighted the need in this area. The HSE said, in responding to this issue, that it is the responsibility of the coroner to source a paediatric pathologist and the local coroner said a protocol should be in place under which a person would be designated to carry out post mortems in Donegal. Nobody is qualified to carry them out in the county and the available pathologists do not feel comfortable about doing it. No young couple should have to be put through a five-hour journey to Dublin. Amid the trauma and awfulness, they had to stay overnight before returning the following day on a long physical and emotional journey.

Dr. Madden contacted the secretary of Donegal County Council asking for a protocol to be put in place to address the issue. Is a pathologist in Letterkenny General Hospital available for training in infant pathology? I acknowledge these cases do not occur that often but we have experienced two sudden infant deaths over the past two years in the county. Is it possible for the HSE to work with Altnagelvin Area Hospital or hospitals in Belfast regarding infant pathology? The journey from my part of Donegal to Dublin is 20 miles shorter than to Galway, which many people do not realise, whereas Derry is only 20 miles away and it only takes approximately an hour and a half to travel to Belfast.

I hope the Minister of State will outline a solution in her reply in Letterkenny General Hospital as I have great confidence in the staff there. However, I acknowledge this is a specialised area and sudden infant deaths do not occur very often. In the interest of being fair, therefore, we should look to hospitals in the region such as Sligo General Hospital or Altnagelvin Area Hospital or hospitals in Belfast to ensure parents do not have go through this experience in the future. A significant cohort of parents must experience these sad and tragic circumstances annually. A paediatric pathologist must not be appointed in Letterkenny if there is a lack of throughput because health professionals must have a throughput of cases to keep their eye in and to maintain their specialty.

In expressing my sincere sympathy to the family in this case, all I want to ensure is no other family that experiences an infant death, for which a post mortem is required, will have to travel to Dublin or Galway. Dr. Madden received a response from Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, which stated it will not entertain requests from him or any of the four Donegal coroners in future. He says that if Temple Street Children's Hospital makes the same decision, nobody will be available to carry out these post mortems anyway. This is the time to act and to find a resolution to this most sensitive and difficult issue for families of young children. Let us find a solution that means no one has to go through this experience again.