An independent review of the events surrounding the death of two-year-old Róisín Ruddle will get under way this week when a three-member group meets in Dublin.
Róisín Ruddle died at her home near Adare, Co Limerick, on July 1st, within hours of being sent home by Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin, after her heart surgery was postponed.
Her parents sought an independent inquiry after the Eastern Regional Health Authority compiled a report on the issue.
The review will be conducted by a management consultant, Mr David Hanly; a paediatric cardiologist from Guys & Thomas's Hospital London, Dr Shakeel A. Qureshi; and Ms Kay O'Sullivan, director of nursing at Cork University Hospital.
The panel of three experts will meet on Thursday and is expected to report its findings within the next month or so.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said the Minister, Mr Martin, would be releasing that report, together with the earlier ERHA report, as soon as the expert group submitted its findings.
The ERHA report was given to the Ruddle family in July but was not released publicly. Yesterday the Sunday Tribune published extracts.
It disclosed that the cancellation of scheduled operations at the hospital was running at about two per month between January and June.
Many of these related to the absence of appropriately staffed intensive care unit (ICU) beds. The report stated that 124 people were needed to operate the 21 beds, but only 94 staff were in place.
The newspaper also reported that the hospital authorities had written to Mr Martin in May,telling him that intensive care facilities at the hospital were under pressure and that Government cutbacks were to blame.
The letter was in response to queries raised by Mr Martin's office over the cancellation of surgery for another girl.
Yesterday a spokesman for the Minister said the Department had provided "significant additional money" to the children's hospital in Crumlin to recruit staff for the intensive care unit when staffing problems arose more than a year ago.
Some positions had been filled, he said, but others could not because of the shortage of nurses. The spokesman said it was not the case that the Department had withheld money for staffing from the hospital.
