Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I raised the issue of varying restrictions in maternity hospitals across the country. After an exchange with the Minister of State and the HSE management for the Cork-Kerry region, I am even more unsure about how the decisions are being made. The Minister stated it is based on an individual hospital and the HSE stated it is based on the region the woman is in. I wonder which is it. The programme for Government commits to excellence in maternal healthcare but at present women in some areas are going through labour alone. It is a geographical lottery and we have no idea why. We cannot allow anyone else to go through this unless it is absolutely necessary. We urgently need a nationwide review of restrictions in maternity hospitals and the decision-making process needs to be transparent. Will the Taoiseach commit to this before more women have go through this?

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