Ireland

Councillors express ‘grave concerns’ about NMH move to St Vincent’s campus

Letter calls on Government to pursue other sites for maternity hospital

From left, Dublin city councillors Hazel Chu, Larry O’Toole, Catherine Stocker and Janet Horner outside Leinster House after handing a letter to the Minister of Health. Photograph: Leah Farrell/ RollingNews.ie

Jade Wilson
Thu Feb 24 2022 - 19:59

More than half of Dublin city's councillors have signed a letter calling on the Minister for Health to reconsider plans to build the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) on private land at St Vincent's Hospital.

It is expected that ownership of a site for the hospital at Elm Park will transfer from the Religious Sisters of Charity to an independent entity, which will then lease it to the State for 299 years.

However, in their letter the councillors express “grave concern” over the mooted plan as it would “result in a privately owned, religiously influenced hospital”. They call on the Government to “immediately pursue alternative options” with regard to the location of the NMH so as to ensure the State ends up with “a modern facility which is truly public and secular”.

It was "not possible to square the circle of a National Maternity Hospital on religiously owned lands", the letter states, because it will be managed by St Vincent's Healthcare Group.

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The councillors were concerned that maternity and obstetric services such as abortions, IVF and gender reassignment surgery among others would not go ahead if the hospital was located on land owned by the Catholic Church.

Among the signatories were 35 of the 63 councillors including independents and members of the Social Democrats, Labour, Green Party, People Before Profit, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin.

Some of the councillors who signed the letter gathered outside Leinster House on Thursday to highlight their concerns and to deliver the letter to Stephen Donnelly.

Earlier this week, a group of 52 doctors wrote to the Taoiseach and Mr Donnelly saying the campaign against relocating the NMH, while “well-intentioned”, was based on “misinformation” and “manifestly false”.

The letter, signed by senior medical figures including NMH master Prof Shane Higgins and three of his predecessors, said all permissible procedures "including abortion, tubal ligation, gender affirming surgery and assisted reproduction" would be provided at the new facility.

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