Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was going to raise three issues but will confine myself to just one. The Government's resilience and recovery plan is premised on doing everything we can to keep schools and childcare provision open. As it transpires, minding children is the glue that keeps us together, except when it comes to maternity services. I am sure the Minister of State has heard the expression "happy mama, happy baba". There are many unhappy mamas at the moment because of the hospital restrictions that mean they have no one by their side during early pregnancy scans, anomaly scans, throughout the duration of the birth process and for post-partum services. Expectant mothers are staring into a winter of more of the same.

The Government made a decision on Monday to base our approach to Covid-19 not just on public health numbers but also on wider important social factors such as emotional well-being, mental health, which the Minister of State knows all about, and a holistic duty of care. Can the same approach not be taken in regard to maternity services? In response to a parliamentary question last week, the Minister said that any decisions on restrictions are made, implemented and reviewed at hospital level and that the national women and infants health programme has developed a guidance document on restrictions which seeks to provide a more consistent national approach to visitor restrictions. It proposes, for example, that hospitals should review visiting arrangements every week. Will the public have access to those reviews by way of hospital risk assessments and safety statements? Is it possible for maternity hospitals to be brought into the resilience and recovery plan by way of the imposition of stepped restrictions from level 1 to level 4? Surely women in such vulnerable positions can be prioritised rather than pushed to the back of the queue when it comes to reopening society.

I recognise that these are very challenging times for maternity hospitals and I appreciate everything their staff do and are doing. All I am asking for is communication, clarity and compassion. I spoke yesterday to Claire Hanna, MP, who has raised the same issue in the House of Commons. She has stood up for women in the North and I am doing the same today for women in this State. The Royal College of Midwives has stated that having a trusted birth partner present throughout labour is known to make a significant difference to the safety and well-being of women during childbirth. At a time when the coronavirus is heightening anxiety, that reassurance is more important than ever. I ask the Minister of State to stand up for these women because they are busy and cannot do it for themselves.