The family of the late Shannon Teenager Aoife Johnston have made a fresh call for a public inquiry into her death on what would’ve been her 19th birthday.
Renewed hope has been expressed following a meeting held between the family and Health Minister Jenifer Carroll MacNeill.
Aoife Johnston passed away on December 19th, 2022 after waiting over 13.5 hours for treatment of sepsis at University Hospital Limerick; twelve of those hours were spent waiting on chairs and trolleys in the Emergency Department.
In a independent investigation published in September, former Chief Justice Frank Clarke determined the circumstances of Aoife’s death were almost certainly avoidable.
Justice Clarke was not allowed to make findings of fact or resolve conflict in his report and although disciplinary proceedings have commenced into six senior staff, the Jonhston family feel there has been no accountability.
Speaking on Clare FM’s Morning Focus, Family Solicitor Damien Tansey says the Johnstons have made it their mission to get justice for Aoife.
Yesterday the Johnston family met with new Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and HSE CEO Bernard Gloster to discuss a way forward.
A public inquiry would allow evidence to be scrutinised, witnesses to be subpoenaed and conclusions to be made by a judge.
Today would have been Aoife’s 19th birthday and now her father James is undergoing treatment for stage 4 cancer,
Damien Tansey says it’s been an incredibly difficult period for the Johnstons but they are now hopeful of securing a public inquiry.
You can listen to the full interview here:
