The Minister for Health has asked the Eastern Regional Health Authority to prepare a report into the death of a child today whose cardiac surgery was postponed yesterday.
The child's cardiac surgery at the Children's Hospital in Crumlin was postponed because of a shortage of Intensive Care nurses at the hospital.
Details of the child's age and whether the patient was in the hospital at the time of death have not been released.
This evening the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, called for a full inquiry. Officials from the ERHA will carry out the investigation.
The Minister expressed his sympathy to the family of the child.
Responding to the news, deputy Liz McManus, the Labour Party health spokesperson said: "Our Lady's Hospital has been suffering serious problems for some time due to Government cutbacks.
"Significant problems have developed including bed closures and overcrowding in the Accident and Emergency Department. Indeed the hospital has now fewer beds that when it opened in the 1950s," she said.
Ms Olivia Mitchell TD, the Fine Gael health spokesperson added that: "Any shortage of specialist care nurses did not arise overnight.
"It has been well signaled and it is a nonsense to suggest it has nothing to do with funding. The shortage of any specialist professionals is always the result of a failure to plan and a failure to fund," she said.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/64c7504b-f9dd-4cbf-ad7c-534bbb1857e7.png)