An obstetrician who presided over a birth in the Bon Secours hospital, Cork, yesterday denied he was told by a nurse: "We have a disaster on our hands".
Dr David A. Corr, who was a consultant attached to the hospital in 1987, said the suggestion that such a thing was said when he arrived at the hospital to deliver Ian O'Mahony on May 11th, 1987, was untrue. He said the baby was perfect at birth.
Ian, now aged 12, is, through his mother, Ms Ann O'Mahony, of Beechwood Grove, Onslow Gardens, Commons Road, Cork, suing Dr Corr and the hospital alleging negligence in connection with his birth. The defendants deny the claims.
The court has heard that Ian suffers from cerebral palsy, is quadriplegic and has severe mental and physical handicap. Yesterday Dr Corr, under cross-examination by Mr Henry Hickey SC, for Ian, said the real issue in the case was the condition of Ian when he was born. He was not limp and had cried at birth. Dr Corr said Ian's birth was properly managed with no delay.
During his evidence, Dr Corr read several extracts from a number of medical text books which, he said, supported his evidence on the manner he had managed the birth. Asked by Mr Hickey to reconcile this observation with a score of only one out of 10 for respiratory effort recorded for Ian in an AP GAR test soon after birth, Dr Corr said a score of one was quite acceptable in a baby immediately after birth. The hearing was adjourned until January 11th.