News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

The Minister said that legislation providing for the septic tank registration and inspection system was necessary to prevent the State facing a substantial fine for failure to comply with an EU directive on waste water.
(Source: The Meath Chronicle)

Monaghan

A dispute has arisen as to whether the medical chart of a patient who later died of cancer was left lying in her consultant's tray for three months before he looked at it.

Sharon McEneaney (31), from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, suffered continuous abdominal pain for a nine-month period while receiving treatment at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, before a crucial biopsy was carried out, which revealed a tumour in her abdomen was malignant.
The creche manager died eight months later in April 2009.

The consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who treated her, Dr Etop Sampson Akpan, is before a Medical Council fitness-to-practise committee facing 38 allegations of professional misconduct following a complaint by Ms McEneaney's younger sister, Tanya.

Ms McEneaney was admitted to the hospital in October 2007 with abdominal pain but her cancer was not discovered until July 2008.

She had previously been treated at the hospital for neurofibromatosis, a genetically inherited condition that can lead nerve tissues to grow tumours.

The hearing heard how Ms McEneaney underwent exploratory laparoscopic surgery at the hospital on December 20, 2007, at which point a tumour was found.

She was then to undergo a CT scan in a matter of days to provide guidance as to whether it would be safe to conduct a biopsy on this tumour, but this did not occur until January 24.

The follow-up biopsy, which later revealed the malignancy, was not carried out until six months later on July 14 after an intervention by Ms McEneaney's local GP Dr Shane Corr and former TD Dr Rory O'Hanlon.
(Source: Irish Times)

Offaly

Offaly local Development Company is bringing a Local One Stop Shop for Employment support to Daingean and Edenderry. This is for anyone out of work over 12 months, regardless of whether you are getting a Social Welfare payment or not. If you are in receipt of a Social Welfare payment this or any other benefits will not be affected in any way.

This local employment support offers you: free one to one advice on what supports & schemes are now available for the unemployed, free job seeking advice, and free computer training to assist in job seeking.
(Source: Offaly Express)

Roscommon

Thieves have stolen seven gates from railway level crossings in the northwest.

The 4.3m by 1.5m steel barriers were taken from junctions at Clonloo, near Boyle, Co Roscommon and Culfadda, near Ballymote, Co Sligo.



They were noticed missing early last Sunday morning and Iarnród Éireann workers moved quickly to secure the unprotected openings.

Iarnród Éireann spokeswoman Jane Cregan said the removal posed a big threat to lives.



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Nster.com