A NORTH-EAST couple have sold their home and emigrated to South Africa claiming their local hospital cannot give their baby the care she needs.

Lisa and Fintan O'Rourke flew to Pretoria at the weekend after selling their £200,000 Hartlepool home to start a new life where their daughter Brogen can receive round-the-clock care.

Brogen was born with cerebral palsy, is blind and deaf, and suffers from epilepsy. She cannot move unaided and has to be fed through a tube in her stomach. Doctors cannot predict how long she will survive, but she has had pneumonia six times and her parents fear another chest infection may kill her.

Mr and Mrs O'Rourke said the care Brogen received from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust was not good enough because facilities were under-funded. They said her best chance of survival meant emigrating to where specialist help would be available.

A spokesman for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust rejected the claims and said staff had worked hard to provide the best possible care for Brogen.

Mr and Mrs O'Rourke sold everything they had to raise the money to pay for Brogen's treatment, which will cost £30,000 a year.

The family also started a charitable appeal to raise money to send other cerebal palsy sufferers to South Africa.

The appeal, which asks companies to donate empty ink printer cartridges for recycling, has already raised thousands of pounds and will continue despite the family's decision to emigrate.

"What annoys me most is that we have worked hard all our lives and paid our taxes but when we plead for help it is not there," said Mr O'Rourke, a 35-year-old website designer

"We are doing what any parent would do. We are talking about a child's life and the hospital is too under-funded to give the treatment she needs - they can't even provide the care they said they were going to because they haven't got the money."

Brogen, whose first birthday is later this month, nearly died at birth because she did not receive enough oxygen and was kept on a life support machine at North Tees Hospital for ten days.

Mr O'Rourke said he is considering taking legal action against the hospital.

A spokesman for North Tees said they had offered 25 hours a week care for Brogen and tried to meet the O'Rourkes several times to discuss her care without success.

"We sympathise with the family and understand that as parents they want the best for Brogen. However, we reject the criticisms the family are making," said the spokesman.

"Care is provided on a patient's individual health needs and not on financial grounds. Financial issues have never influenced Brogen's care."