National Maternity Hospital must be in full public ownership

Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has called for an end to the obfuscation tactics currently employed by Government on the new National Maternity Hospital. Speaking today, Senator Bacik said that the new hospital simply must be in full public ownership, and the Government must outline its plans to achieve that for women and their families. At Senator Bacik’s request, the Seanad leader confirmed that Minister Donnelly had agreed to come into the Seanad on Friday 2^nd July to clarify the plans for the future National Maternity Hospital.

Senator Bacik said:

"Unfortunately, in this country we have had a long and shameful history of neglecting women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, and this cannot continue with the new National Maternity Hospital. I want to be very clear – the new National Maternity Hospital must be in full public ownership. Otherwise, I am deeply worried that religious ethical values may have influence over the healthcare that the hospital will offer to women.

“I have called on the Minister to release all correspondence relating to any attempts by the State to purchase the site. We need clarity about the prospects for public ownership of the land on which the State is now proposing to spend more than 500 million Euro of public money.

“It has now become clear that in order to address all of our ongoing concerns about governance and ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital, both building and site must be owned by the state. Nothing else will do."