Department kept Donnelly in dark on baby organ incineration

HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly was kept uninformed about the organs of multiple babies being incinerated without the knowledge or consent of their parents, 17 months after his department learned of the scandal.

It was revealed earlier this week that the organs and tissue of 18 babies who died at Cork University Maternity Hospital had been incinerated in Belgium along with clinical waste last year.

Speaking during a debate in the Dáil on the issue last night, Mr Donnelly confirmed that he was only briefed about the incidents when RTÉ Investigates contacted the Department of Health for comment.

However, the Department of Health had been made aware of the case on May 12, 2020.

The organs and tissue of the babies, which had been kept by the hospital following post-mortems, had been incinerated on two dates in March and April 2020.

Responding to questions from Independent TD Catherine Connolly, Mr Donnelly said he ‘immediately sought assurances’ from the HSE that there would be a ‘system-wide look’ into the issue once he found out.

The Fianna Fáil minister told the Dáil that three investigations into how the babies organs came to be incinerated abroad are now underway, with the first review expected to be complete before November.

Mr Donnelly said he ordered a country-wide review as he believes there are other parents worried that the same thing could have happened to the organs of their children.

‘I don’t believe it’s enough – I think it is necessary but I don’t believe it’s enough – that there’s a review into this specific incident and into the standards and procedures around that,’ he said.

Mr Donnelly also said that he ‘cannot begin to imagine the hurt’ the horrific incidents have caused to the families who lost their babies.