Hyponatraemia inquest an opportunity for the truth, mother says

The mother of a nine-year-old girl who died from hyponatraemia has said a new inquest that started today is "an opportunity for truth".

Raychel Ferguson, from Londonderry, died at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in June 2001.

Her parents, Ray and Marie Ferguson, have long campaigned to find out the truth about their daughter's death.

Hyponatraemia is an abnormally low level of sodium in blood and can occur when fluids are incorrectly administered.

Mrs Ferguson said the fact there was a second inquest "speaks to the culture of cover up that has plagued her death, involving the medical and legal professions".

An inquiry in 2018 into the deaths of five children in Northern Ireland hospitals, including Raychel, found her death was avoidable.

The 14-year-long inquiry into hyponatraemia-related deaths was heavily critical of the "self-regulating and unmonitored" health service.

In January 2022, a new inquest opened but was postponed in October after new evidence came to light.

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Source: BBC News, 2 May 2023