Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The amendment concerns the provision of facilities for the intensive care of newborns in appropriate institutions under the terms of the Bill. As was discussed on Committee Stage, it is not proposed to accept this amendment for the reason that it is not necessary. I am confident that if a newborn infant requires intensive care facilities anywhere in the State, nothing in the provisions of this Bill would prevent the child from accessing those facilities.

Of the 25 hospitals listed on the Schedule to the Bill, 19 provide neonatal care services across the country. In addition, neonatal transport is now universally accepted as an essential component of newborn care. The national neonatal transport programme has been in operation for 11 years. Currently the service operates seven days a week and accepts calls from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The extension of this service to a 24-seven service is one of the objectives of the HSE service plan for 2013 and is on target to be achieved in September.