We need to see more progress on National Maternity Strategy

Senator Rebecca Moynihan
27 January 2020

Labour Party General Election candidate, Rebecca Moynihan, has said that the women of Ireland need the Maternity Strategy to be rolled out not delayed.

Councillor Moynihan said:

“The testimony by Mark Molloy who resigned from the HSE board earlier this month is quite telling of the Government’s attitude to the roll out of the National Maternity Strategy.

“The National Maternity Strategy is an extremely important roadmap as to how we can improve maternity services across Ireland.

“Developed in reaction to the chilling death of Savita Halappanavar, it is vital now that we see serious inroads to developing the strategy, but the comments by Mr Molloy on the current state of affairs do not give me much hope.

“We need to ensure that all maternity services in Ireland are safe, well-resourced and sensitive to the varied needs of women. This will facilitate families to make informed choices about their birth options, whether at home, in the community or in a hospital setting.

“Three years later little progress has been made towards implementing the strategy and many pregnant women in Ireland remain without access to important facilities such as ultrasound facilities, mental health services, safe ratios of staff to birthing women, and choice around appropriate types of maternity care including home or community birth centres, midwife-led units and obstetric-led care.

“We are calling for renewed focus on the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy and review of the national consent policy to reflect the repeal of the 8th amendment.”

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