Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday there was an announcement that the HSE's review of maternity services in the west/north west hospitals group was being shelved and would be subsumed into the national maternity services review. The report into the group's maternity services was near finalisation and it was exposed recently as containing alarming recommendations for the downgrading and potential closure of maternity services across the region.

There was no public consultation on the report and public procurement rules were circumvented. Owing to the good work of Senator Marc MacSharry and others, the issue was disclosed and exposed and it contained revelations about proposals concerning maternity services at Portiuncula, about which there are very grave concerns.

Services in the north west will be included in the national examination of maternity services. There are approximately 19 public maternity units in Ireland. What is the agenda for the strategy and the review? Will the Government publish the terms of reference and ensure there will be public consultation? Will the Taoiseach confirm that the agenda is not to reduce the number of maternity units to 14, 12, ten or fewer? People consider such a reduction is within the remit of the maternity services strategy. There are key issues regarding the recruitment of obstetricians and midwives. The Government's policy on obstetricians has backfired and we are short of obstetricians throughout the country. There is a need to end the anxiety in places such as south Tipperary, Portlaoise, Portiuncula, Castlebar and Sligo. If the trend is to locate maternity services in acute tertiary centres, where does that leave existing maternity hospitals? It is important that the Taoiseach indicate to the House the terms of reference.

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