Ray and Marie Ferguson have campaigned since 2001 to discover why Rachel, their 9-year-old daughter, died at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Marie said the new inquest, which started on 2 May, is an opportunity to establish why Rachel died from hyponatremia a day after her appendix operation. Hyponatremia, an abnormally low level of sodium in blood, can occur when fluids are incorrectly administered. Mrs Ferguson said the fact that there was a second inquest ‘speaks of the culture of cover-up involving the medical and legal professions’. The 14-year-long inquiry into hyponatraemia-related deaths was heavily critical of the ‘self-regulating and unmonitored’ health service. A 2018 inquiry into Northern Ireland hospitals where five children died, including Rachel, found death was avoidable.
Northern Ireland: inquest opportunity for the truth
Written by David Fletcher 04 May 2023Additional Info
- Pray: for all the truth and justice to bring peace of mind to the parents, and for the practice of self-serving interests by the medical and legal professions to end. (Ephesians 5:11)
- More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65454093