Dáil debates

Thursday, 31 March 2022

National Maternity Hospital: Statements

 

6:25 pm

Photo of Matt ShanahanMatt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will read an excerpt from The Irish Timesfrom Wednesday, 16 February 2022, in which the Taoiseach said, "The process of relocating the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) has gone on for 'far too long'." He went on to say, "major health projects need to be delivered 'much more quickly' than they are at present." He added, "It’s not acceptable...". Further to that, he told the Dáil there would be no involvement or influence 'in any way' from religious organisations when the hospital moves ... from Holles Street, Dublin to a site at Elm Park. The article went on to state that, "The Elm Park site would come under ... [the] control for 299 years after its transfer to the NMH from SVHG [under a licencing agreement]". The article further stated that, "Mr Martin said there would be no involvement or influence from any religious organisation, 'be it Catholic or whatever', in the new facility."

I think it is fair to say that religious ethos will not be a dominant feature in the medical politics at this new maternity hospital.

Regarding the need for a new Dublin maternity hospital, no one could argue regarding the need for an upgrade in maternity services from Holles Steet maternity hospital. The Minister outlined it and, indeed, people know that building was never designed for the number of patients and number of possible procedures required, or the development or innovation that has taken place in modern medical therapies, which oftentimes require significant theatre and operating room space to accommodate machinery. No one could argue whether the needs and safety of mothers and infants in this country should be paramount in our society. I know we are all agreed on that. I will raise other questions regarding the development of this hospital beyond its recognised need within the Dublin healthcare ecosystem.

My questions emanate from my interest in healthcare, particularly how healthcare operates in the regions as opposed to counties Dublin or Cork, for example. What are the associated proposed costs of this project? Initial estimates some years ago suggested the completed hospital would be built for €400 million. The national press has in the last number of weeks been touting a figure closer to €800 million. Given that we have not completed nor are we even close to the finishing costs for the national children's hospital, which will likely top out close to €2 billion, what should the cut-off point of spending be on this new national maternity hospital?

I remind the House that a second Dublin maternity hospital move is mooted to be required soon, that is, the Rotunda Hospital possibly moving to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown. That is before what will surely be the next discussion in national maternity services of the potential adjoining of some maternity hospital units to the new national paediatric hospital. The issue of shortcomings in terms of dealing with babies who require immediate surgical intervention post-delivery has been well-known in Dublin and beyond for years.

How long more before the national capital call-out to spend whatever is required to conjoin maternity hospital services to the new national children’s hospital, all the while conveniently forgetting how much has been committed to this project and conveniently sidestepping the fact maternity co-location to the new national children's hospital site choice was not the primary driver in deciding its location? It was, in fact, ignored, and that deliberate oversight is a stain on the integrity of those who were involved in the decision-making process. It was a decision that resulted in an unnecessary bill that taxpayers and patients nationally will have to suffer for years. It is heartening to know that when it comes to spending money in Dublin, budgets come way down the list of significant political considerations.

I might digress to the subject of my local hospital, University Hospital Waterford, UHW, about which I have spoken many times in this House. It is the south-east regional heart attack centre and it continues, despite all the political promises over recent years, to offer access only 39 hours per week for emergency cardiac catheterisation. It continues to allow needless damage of patients as they incur delays in accessing emergency stenting in other regional centres. Despite this hospital being the most efficient in terms of bed and patient trolley management and Covid pathways in the entire South/South West Hospital Group, we can garner no Dáil debate on why it has the lowest capital budgets of the nine model 4 hospitals. Despite it having a patient population of more than 550,000, no one is asking for an emergency task force to decide whether to grant the resources we need to deal with our outpatient waiting list of 50,000. No one is asking why the hospital has the lowest number of healthcare staff per bed ratio of all the model 4 hospitals, or why we would should have to fumble with 2,196 health service personnel. By contrast, University Hospital Limerick, for example, which has 3,600 staff, is a similarly sized hospital but treats a catchment of 100,000 fewer patients. It appears no one in Dub-land or Dáil Éireann has any interest in exploring why UHW, in respect of almost every business case or capital development project it has proposed that would increase its bed allocations, develop additional treatment space or increase staffing, meets nothing but resistance, deliberate delay and obstruction over the years in its desire to develop additional services.

I have sympathy for the issues that continue to beset the building of a new maternity hospital in south Dublin, but my experience and that of south-eastern patients tells me Dublin medical lobbyists and politicians will find a way to deliver this project. They will continue to do so even while they continue to ignore the many valid claims for equity in healthcare spend for the citizens of this country who live outside the Pale.

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