National Maternity Hospital board to meet over the facility’s future
The board of the National Maternity Hospital will meet today to discuss the future of the facility.
Board member Dr Peter Boylan is refusing to step down from his position after he spoke out about concerns about the project's new ownership.
The new hospital is set to be under the 'sole ownership' of the religious order the Sisters of Charity.
@rtenews Thank you #DrPeterBoylan for not giving up under the pressure. As a woman and a mother I am grateful
— Christine McGuinness (@ChristineMcG00) April 25, 2017
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland recently, Dr Boylan said it would be inappropriate for the €300,000,000 facility to have strong links to the Catholic Church.
The deal in place regarding the new facility was published yesterday.
'I think it is clear that the new Maternity Hospital negotiated hard that clinical independence would be written in stone but I think fundamentally the issue of ownership hasn’t been addressed,' said Councillor Eilis Ryan of the deal.
Is it your preference that the Catholic Church; Should Have A Role in Maternity Services / Should Have No Role in Maternity Services #CBLive pic.twitter.com/BJYLKZcpVb
— RTÉ ClaireByrneLive (@ClaireByrneLive) April 24, 2017
'There are a number of doctors who have said it is really impossible to guarantee clinical independence unless the state has ownership so I think that is still quite worrying.'
A petition has gone viral against the ownership, which has since garnered over 92,000 signatures.
An RTÉ poll also found that 86 per cent of people do not want the Catholic Church to have any role in maternity services in Ireland.
