THE FAMILY of an elderly man who contracted MRSA before he died in a private hospital in Dublin has called for the “wall of silence” surrounding private sector healthcare to be broken.
Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty yesterday ruled death was due to a hospital acquired infection in the case of Francis May, Dalkey Avenue, Dalkey, Co Dublin. He died at the Blackrock Clinic on November 5th last.
The 81-year-old initially entered the hospital to have coronary artery bypass graft surgery, mitral valve surgery and an operation for chronic atrial fibrillation, but contracted infections, including MRSA, afterwards.
In the days leading up to his death, Mr May, who had a history of respiratory and immune system problems, was suffering from a chest infection, and his condition deteriorated when he did not respond to treatment. His death was reported by the hospital as pneumonia/respiratory failure.
Following the Dublin County Coroner’s inquest into Mr May’s death, his family said that without transparency in healthcare, there was “no accountability”.
“Without legislation to safeguard standards in private hospitals, this situation will continue,” a family statement read.
“There is a wall of silence around MRSA in the private sector that needs to be broken. We would urge other families who have found themselves in a situation like ours to speak out.”
The inquest heard that Mr May had undergone the essential operation, which carried a 15-20 per cent chance of death, on September 3rd last. He made good progress following the operation but some four weeks later he contracted MRSA.
His wife, Ena May, told the inquest that the family was concerned about hygiene in the hospital. She said they found her husband lying in faeces more than once, that there was blood on the floor of an isolation room in which he stayed for a number of days and that they had concerns about the hygiene practices in Blackrock.
Brian Harty, chief executive of the Blackrock Clinic, said the hospital has addressed breaches in its infection control policy, which is under continuous review.
Dr Brian O’Connell, a former microbiologist at the Blackrock Clinic, said the hospital had a low level of MRSA cases compared to others.
Dr Geraghty said it was clear Mr May had suffered a lower respiratory tract infection due to MRSA and other underlying conditions. He deemed the cause as death by hospital acquired infection.
