Campaign Update - Letter to Minister for Health

Email sent to Minister for Health Simon Harris regarding our meet request

Sent 5/10/2016

Dear Minister,

Further to the full support from the ‘Southern Regional Health Forum’ I would like to ask for an  opportunity to meet with you and discuss our campaign which highlights just how crucial it would be to have routine detailed screening available to all expectant mothers.

With a routine detailed 20 week scan put in place this will relieve much strain for Crumlin as plans can be put in place prior to the birth. Currently babies who need immediate medical attention must wait for the arrival of an ambulance then they must be transported to Dublin which can take a considerable amount of time, which in most cases they simply do not have.

If a routine detailed 20 week scan was implemented and a diagnosis was made prior to the birth, a surgical plan can be made and the mother would have the opportunity to make arrangements to deliver her baby in Dublin which would also increase the survival rate of the baby. We understand that our daughter could not have been saved, however we are speaking from our own personal experience as we wish no other parent to have to go through what we have gone through, we are also speaking on behalf of the hundreds of parents who have contacted us and bravely shared their stories of babies who did pass away because a diagnosis was not made.

Minister we ask if you could meet with us at your earliest convenience to discuss our campaign further, we hope through our letter to you, you can understand the urgency to address the current screening procedures and hopefully going forward we could have an opportunity to work alongside the HSE.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to receiving your response.

Kindest regards

Jazmine Sands 

Letter to Minister for Health Simon Harris

Below is the letter I have sent to the Minister on 5/10/16, I have yet to gain a response however I have amazing people supporting me who are doing everything in their power to push for this crucial meeting that without a doubt must take place. 

I will continue to keep everyone updated on our progress and will continue to drive our campaign this as much as possible. 

Mother to an angel xox

Dail PQ & Reply from the Minister for Health (Simon Harris T.D.) for meet request

The first step has been taken to seek a meeting with the Minster for Health Simon Harris, to be honest I was hoping to have received a better response regarding the severity of our current pregnancy screening  routine nationwide. I know I have much trust with the people who are standing by our sides in order to obtain this meeting. Louise O'Reilly TD and Cllr. Damian Quigg have both stressed that they will not give up.Our next step now is to wait for a response from Cllr. Damian Quigg after his meeting at the 'Southern Regional Health Forum' he will be obtaining contact information for me to use in order to receive a response directly from the HSE, I will also be writing a follow up letter to the Minister himself that I wish to meet with him to discuss our campaign and the reasons behind our ultimate goal on behalf of all parents that have had a similar experience and of course those future parents that this could also happen too. 

Email from Louise O'Reilly TD

A chara,

Following on from our meeting, I submitted a pq to the minister, asking if he will meet you. I have attached the response below. I would advise from reading it, that you write/email the Minister seeking this meeting and indeed also do the same of the HSE. You can cc me in on this email or send me a copy of the letter so that I may follow up on this, to ensure a meeting takes place.

I will do everything in my power to help you in your campaign.

Is mise,

Louise O'Reilly TD

Dublin Fingal

QUESTION NO:  1392

DÁIL QUESTION addressed to the Minister for Health (Simon Harris T.D.)

by Deputy Louise O'Reilly

for WRITTEN ANSWER on 16/09/2016 

 *  To ask the Minister for Health if he will meet with a person (details supplied) regarding issues on maternity services; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY.

At the outset I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the family involved in this case. While I can confirm that University Hospital Kerry has an ultrasonography service and provides anatomy scans if clinically indicated, I cannot comment on individual cases.

I am not aware of any meeting request from the family concerned to date but any such request can be referred to my private office.  As Minister for Health, I am always open to meeting individuals and organisations who request it but, due to the busy nature of Oireachtas & Government business, it is not always possible.  Should the family wish to request a meeting regarding the care of their baby, they may firstly wish to seek a meeting with the HSE.

Minister for Health Simon Harris

To the Minister 

Minister, I do wish to meet with you to discuss the current screening process for all expectant mothers nationwide. Through our campaign we are speaking on behalf of ourselves since the passing of our daughter and also speaking on behalf of all those parents who feel that such a diagnosis for their babies were missed. All vital organs should be screened to ensure that if anything is present, that proper procedures are put in place upon birth to increase the babies survival rate.

Maternity hospitals in Dublin do currently offer this detailed screening and so this must be made mandatory nationwide. I trust that you now have a clearer understanding about our campaign and hope that you will agree to meet with us soon to discuss this further.