This article is from page 4 of the 2006-07-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
MEDIA claims that the life of the premature baby who died at the Cliffs of Moher last week was jeopardised because the Ennistymon ambulance was at another call at the time, were refuted by the Health Services Executive yesterday.
The baby, who was approximately 15 weeks premature, was delivered alive to an American tourist at the Cliffs on Wednesday afternoon, but died before reaching the Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick.
The ambulance services declined to comment directly on the matter, but released a statement through the HSE in Limerick yesterday afternoon refuting claims made in the media that the ambulance was delayed because it was on another call at the time.
According to the statement, the ambulance control received a call from the Visitor Centre at the Cliffs of Moher at 12.57 on Wednesday afternoon and was immediately dispatched to the scene with a midwife as part of the crew.
“At the same time, ambulance control also contacted Dr Ruth Goodall to attend at the scene,” read the statement. “The ambulance arrived at the scene at 13.22 hours. Dr Goodall arrived at 13.25 hours approximately.
“On arrival at the scene, the ambulance crew found that the baby was still alive and, at the request of a bystander, ambulance control was requested to arrange a helicopter and a flying squad.”
Twenty minutes later, ambulance control was in contact with Dr Goodall who stood down the request for the helicopter. A HSE spokesperson was unable to clarify that the baby had died at this point, but did say that the decision to stand down the helicopter was taken “on medical grounds”.
“The ambulance left the scene at 14:01 hours and brought mother and baby to the Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick,” continued the statement.
“The hospital was contacted by ambulance control and requested to have a priest and counsellor present. The ambulance arrived at the Regional Maternity Hospital at 15:10 hours.”
According to witnesses, the woman had been traveling on a coach tour with a group of friends when the incident took place and the baby was delivered by a midwife working in the kitchen of the Visitor Centre before the ambulance and doctor arrived.