Refugee groups deny baby boom claims

REFUGEE and asylum groups have slammed claims that increasing births to non-nationals are putting the country’s maternity service under severe strain and that a new unit is needed to cope with demand.

And there are also claims that women are flying from Moscow in particular very late in their pregnancy some at up to 40 weeks to have their babies here. Flying is not recommended after the 32nd week of pregnancy.

The Irish College of General Practitioners says hospitals will always do what they can to try to get more funds. But its advocate for practice in a multi-cultural society, Dr Philip Crowley, said the service as a whole needs to be improved.

"Holles Street and the Rotunda and others are under a lot of strain. The Coombe, too, has its problems. And the issue of births to non-nationals is mainly one for the Dublin area.

"Holles Street in particular is old and there are infrastructural problems there. Hospitals will always argue for more resources.

"But there is a danger when we start to blame underfunding in the service on people coming in from other countries," he said.

There is an issue with people arriving late in pregnancy for maternity help. The focus should be on looking at means of helping such people and intervening earlier.

"We need more general practice and primary care help and need to try to keep the strain off hospitals," he added.

The Irish Refugee Council said it was incensed by the claims being made in some senior medical circles. And its policy officer, Itayi Viriri, described the comments as "the worst form of scapegoating".

General statistics show that the birth rate in Ireland continues to increase, growing from 54,789 in 2000 to 57,882 in 2001 and to 60,521 last year. Much of the increase in births isattributed to non-nationals.