A young girl who claimed a hospital was negligent in not carrying out an X-ray of her hips within the first three months of her life has settled her High Court action for €77,500.
Hannah Houlihan, through her mother, Una, of Gaultier, Dunmore East, Co Waterford, sued the South Eastern Health Board over alleged failures to monitor her progress appropriately within the first weeks of her birth at Waterford Regional Hospital in October 2000. The claims were denied.
Michael Counihan SC, for Ms Houlihan, now 11, said if the child’s dislocated hip had been found within the first three months she would not have needed surgery.
He said the mother was born with congenital dislocated hips. As a result the baby was at major risk of having neonatal disability. When Hannah was examined after birth it was found she had an unstable hip, he said. It was claimed the hips were not competently examined by a suitably qualified medical expert.
It was claimed Hannah was not reviewed until the end of February 2001 at her mother’s request. She later had surgery and in November 2002 an X-ray showed the right hip had corrected fully.