A warning has been issued to the Belfast children's hospital to expect a higher number of child fatalities as a result of poverty and the cost of living crisis this winter.
It is estimated that over 70% of families in Northern Ireland could be in fuel poverty by next year as a result of energy price hikes and growing inflation. This will have a huge impact on children in particular because as families struggle to heat their homes, health problems can easily develop or worsen.
At an event held by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People at the Feile, paediatric doctor at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Julie-Ann Maney, warned that children will die this winter as a result of parents not being able to heat their homes properly.
