Standoff between Board of the Rotunda and Minister for Health must end
Standoff between Board of the Rotunda and Minister for Health must end - The Labour Party
Labour Party Health spokesperson and Dublin Central TD Marie Sherlock has said the current debacle between the Rotunda and the Minister and Department of Health must come to an end, and she called for discussions between both sides.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“Public hospital facilities must be used for publicly provided maternity care. That is the clear intent of Sláintecare and we passionately believe every woman attending the 19 maternity units across this country should be entitled to the continuity and reassurance of excellent care, irrespective of her ability to pay.
“The public only consultant contract is supposed to be a key instrument in the phasing out of private care in public hospitals.
“However, there is a gap between the intent and spirit of the contract and the fine detail. Clause 24.10 of the contract does not allow private work on site unless permission is provided by the employer.
“Whether or not the Rotunda backs down, the reality is that this is bigger issue for the HSE and the Department of Health and it needs to be fixed. Failure to do so could well mean that other situations arise outside of the gaze of public and political scrutiny. Already we have revelations over the past 12 months of inappropriate insourcing and private activity within our public hospitals.
“Agreement between both sides needs to be reached on an end date for those consultants who were granted a derogation and work must then commence to ensure the POCC is sufficiently tightened so that this situation does not arise again.”