THE Mid Western Health Board has warned parents about a bogus health visitor in their area who examined a three year old handicapped boy in Co Limerick.
Gardai have issued a description of a woman in her 40s with dark hair, 5 ft 5 in tall and who calls herself "Ann O'Brien". The boy in Montpelier, near Castleconnell, was taken to Limerick Regional Hospital with a suspected dislocated hip after the examination, which was described as "very rough" by the boy's mother, Mrs Marie Ryan.
His father, Mr Jimmy Ryan, last night appealed to the woman to get in touch with the professional services if she has a problem. He added that she had nothing to fear from the family.
The Mid Western Health Board confirmed the incident yesterday and stressed that no one was authorised to visit the boy that day. The district nurse is a regular visitor and "the very convincing woman" posing as a nurse told the mother that she had been asked to call by Roxtown Health Centre and the district nurse.
The woman told the mother to bring the boy to his bedroom and undress him as she wanted to examine him.
After the examination the mother contacted the health centre concerning the rough manner in which her child was handled and that she did not want this woman to examine him again. The boy was very upset after his ordeal.
After the health board advised that a bogus nurse was involved, the gardai were alerted.
The assistant chief executive officer of the Mid Western Health Board, Mr Martin Duffy, yesterday told The Irish Times that the board had four groups working with the public: public health nurses, social workers, welfare officers and environmental health officers.
"They all have identification. Nobody should admit anybody into their home purporting to be from the Health Board unless they had ID from the board", he said.
He appealed to anyone with information about this incident contact the gardai in Limerick or Castleconnell.