Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with some of what the Minister said on the excellent service in the maternity unit. I have been a patient there on two occasions so I know exactly how good the staff are and that is why the current system should not change. If one knew the layout of the hospital one would know that it is not possible to use four beds in isolation. The corridor, the maternity ward and the gynaecological ward run right next to each other and the people in those four beds would be sharing toilets and showering facilities with other patients so there is no way one can say there is no risk of cross-contamination and other general infection. It is ludicrous to put people from the general population of the hospital in with newborn babies, premature babies and women who are in hospital because of the loss of a pregnancy as this just puts them at greater risk of infection.

The Minister said there was a decrease in births but the 2016 census indicated an increase of 4.1% in the population of Carlow and 3.9% on Kilkenny. The projected requirement for maternity services for childbearing women aged 25-44 will increase the need for services for in the next number of years. The maternity ward is very good for women in a difficult situation, such as the loss of a baby or a pregnancy loss. The hospital gives them privacy and, often, their own room but that would be completely taken away and we have to look at that from the point of view of mental health. Using the maternity and gynaecology wards to deal with overcrowding and putting a woman who has had a pregnancy loss in the same place as somebody who has just had a baby will have negative repercussions from which we will not be able to row back. The ward runs really well at the moment even though, like all other hospitals, they are under pressure. I urge the Minister to get onto the management of St. Luke's Hospital Kilkenny and ask it not to go ahead with this as a solution for overcrowding. It will cause a lot of problems for women and newborn babies, which we do not want.

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