A man has been charged with the murder of Matthew Healy (89), who died after he was attacked while a patient in a general medical ward at the Mercy University Hospital in Cork on Sunday.
The 32-year-old suspect is due to appear in court in Cork on Tuesday following the killing of Mr Healy, who was fatally injured when beaten with a walking aid in on January 22nd.
The man was charged at the Bridewell Garda station on Monday night with Mr Healy’s murder, and he was being held at the station overnight to appear at Cork District Court on Tuesday morning.
He will formally charged before the court with the murder of Mr Healy at the Mercy University Hospital, contrary to common law.
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The man, who is from Churchfield on Cork’s northside, was not known to Mr Healy prior to his hospitalisation in the Mercy University Hospital after being admitted through the emergency department.
A native of Berrings in Co Cork, Mr Healy was a retired farmer whose wife, Delia died on January 2nd in St Finbarr’s Hospital. He is survived by his sons Vincent and Gerard and his daughter Claire.
The Healys had lost a daughter, Christine, many years ago when she drowned while swimming at Owenahincha in West Cork.
Locals in Berrings have spoken of their shock and sadness at learning of Mr Healy’s sudden death, with many describing him as “a pure gentleman” and the Healys as “a great community family”.
News that a man has been charged with Mr Healy’s murder came after nurses called for a new audit of security systems and protocols in Irish hospitals in the wake of the attack in the Mercy.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the incident in which Mr Healy was fatally assaulted on a general ward at MUH highlighted yet again the need for proper security audits in all hospitals.
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families at the centre of yesterday morning’s tragic incident in Mercy University Hospital. We have been offering our union’s full support to members in the Mercy and will continue to do so,” said Ms Ní Sheaghdha.
“In light of this awful incident, we are again repeating our call for a full review and audit of security systems and protocols in Irish hospitals. We haven’t had a security audit of our hospitals since 2016 – it is time now for the HSE to complete a full audit of what measures are in place in each hospital.”
