Non-national births putting hospital ‘under intolerable pressure’

THE number of non-nationals giving birth at the Limerick Regional Maternity Hospital has put “intolerable pressure” on facilities there in the past decade.

Assistant chief executive of the Mid-Western Health Board John O'Brien said €2.3 million was to be allocated to facilitate urgent development of theatre and delivery facilities.

"There is a serious need to do this work there is intolerable pressure on delivery suites at the moment, which can be partially attributed to the massive increase in demand for services from non-nationals," said Mr O'Brien.

Figures released by the Mid-Western Health Board show the number of births at the hospital has increased from 3,467 in 1993 to 4,400 last year, There were 4,809 births in 2001, While the 10-year figures for the number of births to non-national, refugee or asylum-seeking women are not available, it is understood there has been a massive boom in such births. There were 339 births in 2002, almost 10% of the total number of births at the hospital.

The €2.3 million is being allocated "as an urgent requirement" as part of the Clinical Risk Management Report published last October, which revealed that the Mid-Western Health Board intended to relocate its maternity services to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital campus at Dooradoyle.

The report found that the only viable solution to providing maternity care to the best international standards would be to transfer the maternity service to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, which would give greater access to specialist services such as radiology, laboratory and intensive care.

The report had revealed that "current facilities and staffing levels are inadequate to meet the increasing demands" at the Limerick Regional Maternity Hospital.

Since the report was published, a clinic has been established at the hospital, and an additional 18 midwives, two attendants, three ward clerks and an extra doctor have all been employed to address deficits identified by the report.

The Limerick Regional Maternity Hospital at the Ennis Road is the fourth-largest of its kind in the country, and, with an average of 4,000 births per year, is the busiest maternity hospital outside Dublin.