THE long-term plan for University Hospital Limerick (UHL) must deliver on the co-location of maternity services at the second site of the expanded Dooradoyle campus.
That’s the concern for Senator Dee Ryan, who called on Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to ensure the maternity facility is ring-fenced into the UHL plan.
Speaking following confirmation by the Minister that the Government will accept and implement all three recommendations of the recent HIQA report on emergency healthcare services in the Mid West, Senator Ryan said the commitment must now translate into clear, patient-centred delivery including safe and fully resourced maternity services.
“Minister Carroll MacNeill’s confirmation that all three HIQA recommendations will be accepted is a significant moment for the Mid-West, Senator Ryan said.
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“But it is essential that the expansion of UHL includes the co-location of maternity services on the second site of the Dooradoyle campus, as part of a properly planned and future-proofed model of care.
“University Hospital Limerick has been under sustained pressure for many years, with expectant mothers significantly suffering with the division of services and care between the University Maternity Hospital and UHL”.
Currently should an expectant woman need an anaesthetic, the anaesthetist has to travel from UHL.
Addressing the Minister, Senator Ryan said: “Women and families in the Mid West deserve safe, accessible, and properly resourced maternity care. As the UHL campus expands to a second site, the collation of maternity services must be prioritised as part of that development, not treated as an afterthought.”