Maternity hospital can’t cope with caseload – Breen

THE regional maternity hospital in Limerick cannot adequately cope with its current caseload, according to Clare Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen.
Designed to deliver about 3,500 babies annually, Deputy Breen told a Dáil debate last week that 5,400 babies were born at St Munchin’s Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick last year.
In spite of previous commitments about relocating St Munchin’s to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle, Deputy Breen pointed out there is no funding to complete this re-location. He claimed the mishandling of misdiagnosis errors has cost lives and left people with lifelong scars and unanswered questions.
“Every time a case of misdiagnosis reaches the public domain or questions are raised in regard to the systemic failures in our health system, it should be remembered that behind the headlines there are real headaches for the patients involved and their families.
“Very often medical errors become public knowledge only because of the courage of patients and their next of kin in speaking out. I think of a number of cases in my constituency – of Karl Henry in Ennis who spoke out following the death of his wife Ann Moriarty; the Kelly family in Kilrush who spoke following the death of Edel and Rebecca O’Malley, a victim of misdiagnosis, who continues to give courage and hope to others in a similar situation.
“The Medical Council has recognised that a problem exists and has introduced a guide to professional conduct and ethics, which states that doctors should acknowledge their mistakes to patients.
“This does not go far enough. The lack of facilities and the understaffing of our hospitals have compounded the problem,” he said.
He claimed the management and staff at Ennis hospital have been starved of resources for years and hoped Health Minister Mary Harney would allocate the necessary funding to the new hospital manager, Frank Keane to provide the required facilities.
A Department of Health spokesman confirmed best international practice said the preferred site for a maternity hospital should be co-located with an acute hospital. The spokesman explained it is the HSE’s intention to relocate the maternity hospital to the site of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital at Dooradoyle.
“The project is currently at appraisal stage. The HSE is looking at alternative methods of funding this development, such as through a public-private partnership, as with other maternity hospitals in Dublin, rather than through the normal capital programme.
“The existing site will be sold on completion of the project to part fund the development. It is estimated that the cost will be around €70 million,” he said.