The family of a Clare mother of two who say she died without knowing that she had been diagnosed with a “potentially life-threatening illness” have vowed to push the Health Minister to enact changes which could prevent a repeat of the circumstances leading up to her death.
78 year old Brigid O’Loughlin from Inch, near Ennis, died at University Hospital Limerick in October 2017 having previously attended the Bon Secours Hospital in Galway, where she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition that restricts blood flow to the small intestine.
The family say they were not properly informed of this diagnosis, although this was contested during an inquest hearing this week.
There, the coroner returned a narrative verdict, and made recommendations including that public and private hospitals share all of a patient’s medical information “in the interest of public health and safety.”
Brigid’s daughters Breda and Martina O’Loughlin say they’ll push for this to become the norm.
