Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt in saying the time of being born and the time of giving birth must be the most vulnerable times in anybody's life, for the infant being born and the mother giving birth. As a nation, we absolutely owe these women and their children the very best of professional care and support in the highest end hospital with all the necessary equipment should anything go wrong. I will begin with points on maternity care itself and then speak on the situation with regard to Holles Street and the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital.

It is very clear the provision of accessible, safe and high-quality obstetrician-led maternity services to all mothers and babies, regardless of where they live in whatever part of the country, must be the core objective of public health policy. It is increasingly clear our national maternity infrastructure is under strain and needs serious review and investment to make it sufficient to meet the needs of the country over the coming years. Any debate on maternity services needs to include a discussion on what greater role community midwifery can play, the urgent need for a greater number of consultant obstetricians, and the level of investment needed in physical infrastructure. We agree with proposals to relocate the maternity hospitals in Dublin alongside acute hospitals and this absolutely makes sense.

When we look at the OECD reports on this, Ireland has one of the lowest ratios of obstetricians to patients and this tells it own story. There is a huge need for investment in maternity and neonatal services throughout the country. We believe obstetrician-led services must be a priority and we call for them to be in place in every maternity hospital in the country. It is crucial that maternity services are protected and enhanced rather than downgraded. We must look at those outside Dublin who must have high quality health and maternity services. These include, as my colleague, Deputy Kelleher, said, anomaly scans, which are extremely important in monitoring the development of the baby in the womb. They are carried out as a matter of routine in the main maternity hospitals in Dublin and Cork but only in some of our regional maternity units. Women in Cavan and Monaghan who want to have an anomaly scan must travel to Dublin. This is deeply unfair and a source of much anxiety for parents to be.

The hospital on Holles Street is a place I know well. My ten younger siblings were born there. In my younger years, we were trotted up to the hospital and the car was outside from which we waved-----

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