Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He got elected but his colleague from the town did not, which is interesting.

However, it is extraordinary that in the middle of the election campaign, the HSE would have decided to make a presentation to the employees of Portiuncula Hospital presenting a so-called confidential report, knowing full well that it would be used for political purposes and any sort of opportunity would have been seized upon to spread misinformation.

I welcome the contents of the Government amendment. Everybody in this House wants to provide an accessible, safe and high-quality maternity service for all the people and it is only right that there would be a national review of maternity services in light of the many serious issues and problems that have surfaced in recent years.

I welcome the fact that no decisions on maternity service provision will be made in advance of the publication of the national maternity strategy. I also welcome the fact that there are no proposals to downgrade maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe or at the other units in the west and north-west region. This confirms the information given to me by Mr. Bill Maher, CEO of the West/North-West Hospitals Group, who stated that, far from downgrading the Portiuncula Hospital service, they were looking at a midwife-led service model alongside the obstetrician-led service in Ballinasloe. The confirmation that two additional obstetricians will be appointed shortly to provide a service in Portiuncula and in UCHG confirms my confidence in the information given to me by Mr. Maher.

Portiuncula Hospital maternity unit is one of the best in the country and should be used as the model for best practice in maternity care. It has received, as has been said, many awards. The Minister will be aware that over 2,000 births take place there annually and I am sure that he will be pleased to hear that the cost of a birth in Portiuncula is considerably lower than the cost of a birth in UCHG - €3,600 in Portiuncula versus €5,000 in Galway. As we look at the money follows the patient model, Portiuncula Hospital should be considered to be the centre of excellence for maternity care. In addition, the bed occupancy level at Portiuncula is higher than anywhere else in the country and mothers are making the decision that Portiuncula is their centre of excellence.

I want to see the Minister fix the many problems in the health service that he inherited from the previous Government, and he is making very significant progress. The women of Ireland must have the best quality maternity services that are properly resourced. The national review is a necessary element of improving patient safety. I look forward to the development of the maternity services in the west and north-west region and seeing my local Portiuncula Hospital continuing to be the jewel in the crown of that service. That is how people feel about Ballinasloe and that is based on the level of service and care that has being given to mothers down through the years in Ballinasloe.

I thank Fianna Fáil for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I want to nail, and see put to bed here today, the untruths and misinformation that have been peddled so widely over the past number of weeks.