Dáil debates

Thursday, 14 January 2021

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Maternity Services

6:20 pm

Photo of Neasa HouriganNeasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I share the Ceann Comhairle's fondness for the Rotunda. All three of my children were born there, one with only seconds to spare. It is a place which is very special to many of us. I welcome the response from the Minister of State. The Department of Health has engaged with the management of the Rotunda Hospital. We welcome that engagement. To be clear, the best practice in neonatal intensive care units is that every child would have 16 sq. m. In the Rotunda Hospital now, the space available is 5 sq. m., and that impacts on children's care, as well as how much a mother can engage with her child and how many people can be in the room. It is, therefore, an urgent and serious situation.

I have a specific request. The Minister for Health and the HSE can see that there is a viable business case here and a medical argument in respect of a medical care wing being attached to the Rotunda Hospital, even given the deadline for the move to the campus of Connolly Hospital.

Fifteen to 20 years is a long time to have a difference of that kind of space of 16 sq. m, versus 5 sq. m for those incredibly vulnerable babies. I am also aware that the Department and the HSE have a number of processes to go through for cost-benefit analysis before they would consider something like this or give it the green light, which is as it should be. For the project to proceed, one of the first steps is to complete gate 2 of the public spending code, which is the completion of a final business case and initial planning document and design. This requires financial support of, I believe, more than €250,000. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for giving her time today to answer this. Perhaps the Minister of State could communicate back to the Minister for Health our genuine request that the Department and the HSE would consider supporting even this next stage of gate 2 of the public spending code in order that we can at least move forward with the cost benefit analysis for the neonatal intensive care unit, NICU.

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