Thousands at risk in hospital plan, says doctor

SHUTTING down six maternity hospitals outside Dublin would put thousands of women’s lives at risk unless they were replaced by proper midwifery services, a leading obstetrician warned yesterday.

A Government task force is recommending that up to a dozen maternity hospitals be closed as part of a major reform package to allow the appointment of 1,200 new consultants required under EU rules.

Senior health figures say the six maternity hospitals most at risk of closing are: Tralee, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Wexford, Ballinasloe and Portlaoise or Mullingar.