A full review of the circumstances surrounding the death of a premature baby after its mother was refused treatment in Monaghan General Hospital has been ordered by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
Mr Martin said that the review will be evaluated externally and independently of the North Eastern Health Board.
The woman was refused treatment at Monaghan General due to the lack of maternity services in the hospital - despite being in labour - and was instead sent by ambulance on a 25-mile journey to Cavan General Hospital.
The baby was born in transit but died shortly after arriving at Cavan General.
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Cutbacks at Monaghan General Hospital may have led to the death of a prematurely-born baby yesterday, local TDs claimed today.
"It has to be said that this tragedy again highlights the disastrous effect of the withdrawal of the maternity unit from Monaghan General Hospital. This tragedy might not have occurred if the Maternity Unit at Monaghan had remained open," Sinn Féin TD for Cavan/Monaghan Mr Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin said.
"Expectant mothers from North Monaghan and elsewhere in the county now have greater distances to travel to either Cavan or Drogheda, increasing the risk of out-of-hospital births and such tragedies".
A sustained campaign against cutbacks at the hospital that has seen the withdrawal of maternity services and severe cuts in accident and emergency provision has been waged in Co Monaghan for nearly two years. A forum has been established to address local concerns but it will not report until February.
An independent candidate, Mr Paudge Connolly, was elected on a health ticket, polling over 7,700 first preference votes at the last election.
"It is a tragedy as a direct result of the downgrading of services and in this case maternity services at Monaghan General Hospital," Mr Connolly said today.
Cavan-based Fine Gael TD, Mr Seymour Crawford, added his voice, criticising the minister Martin. "It is now over twelve months since I received a commitment from Minister Martin that he would appoint someone to bring the different strands together that could provide a workablesolution for the people of Monaghan.
"I warned at that stage that people's lives were at risk and while I, like everyone else, will await the report on this tragic incident, we cannot wait any longer for real action to save and restore the services to Monaghan General Hospital and to the people it serves.
If Minister Martin cannot find somebody to act on his behalf he must do so himself or consider his own position," Mr Crawford said.