Holles Street maternity capacity
Higgins seeks reassurance after Holles Street warned it may limit births next year, asking about staffing, capacity elsewhere and the Government’s plan; interruptions add criticism of the Government. The Taoiseach says births rose 8% from 1998 to 2003 and that interim capacity measures and project oversight have been approved, but does not provide the requested post-referendum figures.
The National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street has declared that next year it will put a monthly limit on the number of births allowed to take place in the hospital. Today's edition of The Irish Times refers to a comment by Dr. Peter Boylan, a consultant obstetrician in the hospital, speaking on the “Morning Ireland” programme, that the Department of Health and Children has been aware of the pressure on the hospital for at least ten years. He also stated: “The persistent answer we get is you’re fine, you don’t need more people, you don’t need more nurses, you don’t need more doctors, the hospital is fine, go away and stop annoying us.” The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform told the House last spring that the maternity hospitals were bursting at the seams with alleged baby tourism. He constructed a referendum he said would resolve the problem, held it and had it passed. Then we hear the comments I cited from a consultant in the premier maternity hospital. If the Minister was correct, what has happened? Was the whole episode a propaganda hoax by the Minister and the Government? Will the Taoiseach explain the matter?
Dr. Boylan also recommended that expectant mothers showing up at Holles Street Hospital and unable to receive care should visit their local Deputy.
Comment on this
I presume he meant they should approach Deputies from the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats parties since they are in power. It occurred to me that the Ceann Comhairle might advise the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to assign each Government Deputy a qualified midwife, rather than a researcher. At least they might make a positive contribution to an aspect of the health crisis. It certainly would allow what is now called "advice centres" to be properly labelled "TDs' clinics".
Comment on this
What is going on? What will the Taoiseach say to reassure people who will be in this difficult and nervous situation next year? If that happens in Holles Street, will resources be available elsewhere? What is the plan?
Comment on this
Dr. Boylan is correct that the number of births increased between 1998 and 2003 by 8%, a large increase. For the preceding 20 years the number of births had been decreasing. There has been a number of meetings between the Department of Health and Children and the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street. The last meeting was held on 22 July this year, when the Minister met the representatives of the National Maternity Hospital.
Proposals were approved at that meeting for interim developments aimed at relieving the infrastructural deficits. The measures are designed to increase capacity in delivery rooms, neonatal, ICU and theatres, as well as improving the postnatal facilities for mothers and babies. The Department of Health and Children, the ERHA and the hospital have progressed the proposals through the hospital project team which has been in place for some time. The Department has approved the appointment of staff to oversee and manage the project and the process of selection of a design team to progress the improvement works at the hospital. The works are under way.
Deputy Higgins's assertion that people have been told to go away is not in line with the facts, either in the past or more recently. The Department is advised that the ERHA has worked closely with all three hospitals to address the pressures caused by the increase in the number of births over the past five years after years of the numbers declining. This affects the Coombe and Rotunda hospitals as well, so the Department is dealing with all three.
Comment on this
Will the Taoiseach answer the point I made with regard to the assertions of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform about the pressure that was allegedly put on the maternity hospitals as a result of the law at that time? Has anything altered fundamentally? If the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was correct, there should be less pressure. The Taoiseach should explain that contradiction, for a start.
Sometimes it is hard to follow the Taoiseach when he answers — I use that word advisedly — our questions. Is the Taoiseach saying there will not be a limit or a necessity to impose one in Holles Street next year? What has he to say about catering for the need of every expectant mother to be properly looked after and treated?
Comment on this
With regard to the first question, I made it clear that the number of births had increased by 8% in the three maternity hospitals in a four-year period. This is a reversal of what happened over preceding years. If the Deputy is asking me for the relevant figures since the referendum, I do not have them. However, the number of births increased considerably and that was Dr. Boylan's point, which was correct. It increased from approximately 21,000 to more than 23,000 births.
With regard to what is happening, the Department has approved the appointment of staff to oversee and manage the project to increase capacity in delivery rooms, neonatal, ICU and theatres, as well as improve postnatal facilities for mothers and babies. The Department has also progressed the proposals with the project team. That work has been ongoing for some time. The last meeting of which I have a record was held on 22 July. As I understand it, the work Dr. Boylan wishes to see take place is at the design team stage. Obviously, the units must be built. One cannot simply click one's fingers and make them appear.
