Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The journey so far on the provision of a national maternity hospital that has got to this point has been long and convoluted. It has become unnecessarily mired in controversy. The existing maternity hospital in Holles Street is not fit for purpose. The decision to relocate to a new site eight years ago that could offer patients improved modern facilities, as well as better care, was not before time. However, since that decision was made, the process has been beset by delays and reasonable concerns over ownership, governance and control. For such an important and major health project, it is hard to fathom that after almost a decade of work, there is very little to show for it apart from escalating costs in construction. A project that was originally to have costs around €150 million is now being put at €500 million with a further €300 million for commissioning costs including fit-out costs and transfer to the new site. The cost of the hospital has gone from €150 million to €800 million. It is another example of gross overspending on a hospital project. There have been legitimate concerns raised by concerned citizens and medical professionals. These have not been sufficiently addressed. They continue to causes friction and needless controversy.

It is important that the national maternity hospital has a secular ethos and that both the hospital and the site on which it resides are fully owned and managed by the State. That the site is supposed to be transferred to a charitable entity called St. Vincent's Holdings has also raised concerns for many who are worried that the hospital will be unduly influenced by a religious ethos. There is also fear that the hospital's legal framework, which talks about "clinically appropriate treatment" is already being shaped by a religious ethos. People are rightly concerned that the new hospital will fail to deliver healthcare that is not approved by the Catholic Church. The new maternity hospital, its administration, operation and oversight must be represented by a secular body and that is best achieved under full State ownership.

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