THE MATER hospital, Dublin, is to carry out an internal investigation into the death by suicide of an Ethiopian patient who had been admitted three days earlier after trying to take his own life.
The 41-year-old asylum seeker, who had been living at the Balseskin Reception Centre in Finglas, north Dublin, died on April 28th.
He had been in Ireland just a few weeks.
The man had attended Dublin's Beaumont Hospital twice in the fortnight before his death.
On the first occasion he spent four days as an in-patient, then later attended the AE department. A spokesman for the hospital said he was assessed and a plan for follow-up care was put in place.
On April 25th, he attempted to drown himself but was rescued and brought to the Mater hospital. Because there were no beds available in the acute psychiatric unit there, he spent a weekend in the accident and emergency department. He then took his own life on April 28th, shortly after being admitted to the acute unit.
The cost of repatriating the dead man's remains to Ethiopia was met by the Health Service Executive Community Welfare Service and the Mater, and he was buried after a family funeral in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on May 10th.
It is understood the man had originally come to Sweden in the 1990s to study for a masters degree in agricultural economics, but decided not to return home because the Eritrea-Ethiopian war had broken out and he feared being conscripted.
He then travelled to London, where he spent about seven years.
His London-based partner, from whom he was recently separated, gave birth to their child in the past two months.
Speaking to The Irish Times from Addis Ababa yesterday, the man's brother, who accompanied the body home, said his parents were distraught by their loss.
"Friends and family are coming and spending nights with us. They are trying to comfort us. It's a very sad story, especially the way he passed away. It's the worst thing that can happen," he said.
He said his brother was the only one of four sons to go to university, having obtained a bachelor degree in agricultural science from Alemaya University in 1990. "My mother and father, I can't tell you what they are suffering. He is the one who went to university. He was a good student. They invested a lot for him. He is a man of mind."
A spokeswoman for the Reception and Integration Agency, which manages the State's network of asylum seeker accommodation centres under the aegis of the Department of Justice, said that because this death did not take place in its own premises, any investigation would be a matter for the Garda Síochána and the coroner.
The Irish Refugee Council said it deeply regretted the tragic death. "We believe it is very important that an inquiry is held to discover how it happened that an deeply distressed and unwell asylum seeker died while in the care of the State. This is essential so that we can learn from this tragedy and ensure that similar tragic deaths do not occur," a spokeswoman said.
The Dublin city coroner is awaiting a file on the case from the Garda, who are obliged to investigate such deaths on his behalf. Interviews will be carried out with witnesses and medical reports will also be collected. An inquest is likely to take place within a year.
Anyone affected by suicide can call the Samaritans on 1850 609090 (24 hours).