Six year old Dublin boy awarded €18m for injuries suffered at birth

They challenged the National Maternity Hospital.

A six-year-old boy who was deprived of oxygen during his birth has been awarded €18 million in settlements after taking High Court action against the National Maternity Hospital, RTÉ reports. The hospital has apologised to Fionn Feely and his family after he was left with catastrophic injuries during his care at the hospital. The Clontarf native was described as happy, funny, clever, mischievous and loving but despite this, he still faced huge challenges throughout his day to day life. His mother Deirdre told the High Court that the brain injury has resulted in many obstacles for Fionn. Fionn was born two weeks overdue on April 24 2015 with Deirdre needing to be induced after she checked into Holles Street, and she said that her baby was born in distress but clearly not monitored properly. They added that had been born three hours earlier, the injury would not have happened and he has now been left with cerebral palsy, speech and language difficulties, feeding difficulties and epilepsy. His parents were also told to prepare for his death and waited for days for it to happen. The apology from the National Maternity Hospital was read out in court with the Master of the hospital, Professor Shane Higgins apologising for the shortcomings in care and apologised directly to Fionn. They also noted how difficult the situation must be for the family, with Deirdre wanting the hospital to acknowledge what had happened to her son. The family added that their lives have been consumed by the legal proceedings and this was the only relief they've had through the entire process. They said that no amount of money would bring back who Fionn might have been but plan to use the money to enjoy being his parents and give him everything he needs to make the most of his life.