Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For an expectant first time mother or a woman who is going in to have her second or third baby having had a bad experience, it is a frightening place to be. Ireland is not anywhere near top of the league when it comes to having a baby or having safe and dignified care. Women have taken a battering in this country over many years and particularly in the last couple of years. I am only three years in this House and we have been talking about symphysiotomy, CervicalCheck and abortion. We are consistently talking about women's reproductive issues, sometimes in a vacuum and sometimes in our little bubble. The message is similar right across the board. The standards of care fall way below what should be expected in a First World, developed and wealthy country. Services should be safe for women. They should feel safe when they go into a hospital. They should feel excited about the birth of their child, not worrying how the birth is going to go and how they will be treated. Many women fear going in a hospital in this country. We should be reaching the top international standards but we are not. We should ensure that mum and baby are cared for and that our care is woman-centred, that she is in control at all times and that what she wants in terms of her birthing experience is listened to.

As Deputy Rabbitte pointed out, it should not be a postcode lottery but very often it is. Some hospitals provide better maternity care than others. Women in rural areas are not getting the best care they could be getting. The national maternity strategy is most welcome but it has not really been acted on. There are many recommendations that still have not been actioned or delivered. Without proper funding and increased capacity, that maternity strategy is doomed to fail.

On infant mortality, Ireland ranks 15th in the OECD. Contrary to popular belief and to what has been uttered in this House, we are not top of the scoreboard where it comes to infant mortality. We have heard many horror stories over the years. The biggest issue facing women in this country when it comes to having a baby is scans first and foremost. In some areas, women can get better scans than in other areas. In my constituency of Mayo, getting an anomaly scan is really difficult. It has improved slightly but getting it at 20 weeks is still not guaranteed. Women may be waiting up to 25 weeks. At most, it should be 22 weeks. Going beyond that means those women are not getting the care they should be getting. It is 2019 and we are a wealthy country. There really is no excuse for it.

We are not providing the best consultant care we can provide. Women basically turn up and see whatever consultant is on that day. There is no consistency. For an expectant first time mum, it is very reassuring at least to expect to see the same doctor every time she goes to hospital. That should be facilitated. There is no reason it cannot be. Birthing facilities also leave an awful lot to be desired. There was an incident in my constituency where the very next day after giving birth, a woman was asked to sit in the chair beside her bed so they could clean and strip the bed for the next patient coming in. She was barely given 24 hours after the birth before she was asked to move to the chair beside her bed. Many people have referred to our maternity units as being a bit like a cattle mart or conveyor belt.

See this speech in context