Report into man's death in Monaghan hospital still unpublished

Three weeks after the deadline has passed, a report into the death of Patrick Walsh, who died at Monaghan hospital, has not been published.

On 18 October, Mary Harney promised a report into circumstances of his death within eight weeks, but 11 weeks later there is no report. She said: "This review will be completed and a report issued within an eight week timeframe. I look forward to this review answering all the questions around this tragic case as a matter of urgent public interest."

Patrick Walsh (75) died of a bleeding ulcer at Monaghan hospital, as the hospital cannot carry out emergency surgical procedures. Although there was a surgical team and intensive care bed for Walsh at the hospital they were not allowed to operate. Requests to transfer him to three hospitals – Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Cavan General Hospital and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin – but they had no intensive care beds available. It later emerged that there had been an intensive care bed available at Cavan hospital.

Walsh had presented himself to the hospital on 13 October with a bleeding ulcer and a chest and kidney infection, but died in the early hours of 14 October.

A Labour spokesperson on health said that "this matter is especially prescient because of the series of warnings and calls for on-call services to be resorted to Monaghan hospital by a group of consultants only a matter of weeks before Mr Walsh's death… Now having promised an investigation within a specific timeframe it appears [Mary Harney] is reneging on that commitment."

In December 2002 a baby died after her mother was forced to give birth in an ambulance en route from Monaghan to Cavan hospital. Emergency health services were withdrawn in July 2002.

The Monaghan Community Alliance Group say that 15 people in Monaghan have died needlessly since the hospital lost its 24-hour accident and emergency services.

Emma Browne