An investigation is underway at CUMH after organs of babies were incinerated abroad without the consent of parents.
RTE report that the organs of 18 babies were sent to Belgium on two separate occasions in 2020.
18 families were contacted by CUMH in May to inform that that organs from their deceased children had been incinerated.
Organs retained at post mortem should return to the baby's next of kin, or else hospitals should arrange their sensitive disposal by burial or cremation according to HSE standards.
The RTE Investigates report says that mortuary staff at Cork University Hospital became aware in the early part of last year that its burial space for the interment of organs was full, and it was decided cremation was not an option while attempts to find an alternative plot proved unsuccessful.
Baby organs then lay in storage at the morgue, and with the arrival of the Coronavirus in March it was decided to send the organs of the 18 babies abroad for incineration in order to free up space in the mortuary.
Cork couple Leona Bermingham and her partner Glenn Callanan are among the 18 affected families after Leona give birth to twins Lewis and Lee in September 2019.
Their baby son Lee died shortly after he was born and Leona spoke to RTÉ Investigates.
"My son's brain went into a bin, as if it was a piece of rubbish, you put rubbish in a bin, why would you put my beautiful son's brain into a bin?"
