Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to Seanad Éireann. While it is good to see him in the Chamber, many people in Kildare will be disappointed that the Minister for Health is not available to answer this question today.

It has been reported that about 200 women from County Kildare are unnecessarily compelled to travel to the Coombe hospital every month for antenatal maternity care because the maternity service, which had been in Naas for many years, was removed at the time of the onset of Covid and has still not returned. With justified Covid concerns at the time, members of the local community, however reluctantly, understood the decision but they assumed it was temporary and not a permanent decision. The shadow and effects of Covid are far-reaching and society is still adjusting but the pandemic clearly did not cause a reduction in the size of buildings that existed before its onset.

For many years, a small consultant-led team travelled from the Coombe hospital to Naas General Hospital once a week but now County Kildare mothers must travel to the Coombe for this consultant-led service. The decision does not put women first. A tried and tested successful service which worked very efficiently from many years has been removed and, as a result, more pressure has been placed on the services in the Coombe hospital. We can see the traffic congestion and queues in the vicinity of the Coombe, including from time to time queuing cars blocking the main road into the hospital. From a green perspective, it is not sustainable. It increases carbon emissions but, crucially from a quality-of-life perspective, it does not put mothers first.

People deserve a proper explanation. We are entitled to know what consultation process, if any, took place before this decision was reached. I urge the Minister of State to ascertain if even one user of the service was consulted before the decision was taken to remove this service from Naas General Hospital. The Kildare Green Party has gathered numerous written testimonials from mothers adversely affected by the removal of this service who have first-hand experience of availing of the service at Naas hospital and then for later pregnancy having to travel to the Coombe hospital. The testimonials show that this can add to the stress of a pregnancy and what should be a routine local visit can now take a round trip of up to six hours, incurring longer, more expensive childcare costs, negotiating trains or buses and for many what should be an avoidable use of motor cars in rush-hour traffic.

If it is an accommodation space issue, the Kildare Green Party has located appropriate rooms for the service close to the hospital if required. It is reported that County Kildare accounts for 20% of all births in the Coombe hospital. Considering that this can entail several visits per mother, we are talking about thousands of antenatal visits. This is unnecessary and, in my opinion, it is avoidable. I am looking forward to an update from the Government in respect of this matter which is causing serious concern for many in County Kildare.