Evanne Ní Chuilinn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I put on record my dissatisfaction, disappointment and shock regarding the news concerning the planned neonatal unit at the Rotunda. I know it has been spoken about quite a bit in this Chamber but the more voices are raised, the better. This is not a political issue; it is a human issue. I wrote of a letter of support for the application and met the master of the hospital, Professor Sean Daly, in September or October of last year, as did lots of people. Letters of support were written. This application was meticulously planned and was reviewed. Most people were of the opinion, and quite rightly so, that it made an awful lot of sense. There are only four level 3 neonatal intensive care units in this country and only one is fit for purpose. We have the sickest children in Dublin and other parts of Ireland trying to stay alive and infection free. Most of the time, there is a distance of just one metre between them. During Covid-19, the healthy among us were told to stay 2 m apart. That old building has not made sense for an awfully long time and it makes sense to grant planning permission for the new facility.

At the moment, the Rotunda cares for 37 babies in its overcrowded neonatal unit. The new development would provide 46 individual rooms to offer the best of care to more infants in modern, well-equipped facilities. It is a brilliant plan. The new extension would also include 19 postnatal rooms, which would relieve pressure on the hospital's postnatal accommodation. It is utterly unacceptable that women in Ireland in 2026 should have to recover from labour and delivery ten or 12 to a room, but that is what is happening, much to the regret of the dedicated staff and management at the Rotunda.

Then, of course, we have the sick babies. The plan would allay a lot of fears, concerns and risks and probably prevent a lot of deaths of small babies.

This has been meticulously planned, refined and updated in compliance with the planning application system. I was really relieved to hear the comments of the Minister for Health and the support she has in trying to get this over the line, and I hope that those who have not yet seen common sense will see it. Common decency should also prevail in this instance.