HSE investigates the death of another baby at Portlaoise

THE HSE HAS confirmed that an investigation is under way following the death of a baby at Portlaoise Hospital.

In a statement this evening, the HSE confirmed that the death took place last Saturday, and offered its condolences to the family.

A post mortem is due to take place.

It is the second death of a child since a damning report into the standard of perinatal care at the hospital was published.

Commenting on the report, Chief Medical Officer with the HSE Dr Tony Holohan said the hospital’s maternity services cannot be regarded as “safe and sustainable” in its current form.

He said that the hospital lacks many of the important criteria required to deliver, on a standalone basis, a safe and sustainable maternity service.

The probe was commissioned by government following an RTÉ Investigations Unit programme into a number of perinatal deaths at the hospital.

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