Health board denies mothers-to-be will be turned away

The Mid-Western Health Board today denied reports it may have to turn expectant mothers away from Limerick's only public maternity hospital because of staff shortages.

A spokesman for the Health Board said it has no plans to cap admissions and added that in recent years there has been a major investment in terms of funding and staff at the Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick.

Earlier reports suggested that consultants at the hospital had warned that they may be forced to cap deliveries if consultant numbers at the hospital were not increased.

The Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick, which currently has one consultant for every 750 births, is the area's only public maternity hospital. One consultant obstetrician in Limerick described mothers' access to consultants as "just about the lousiest in the whole of Britain and Ireland".

However, the Mid-Western Health Board said today that approval was received in the past fortnight for an additional consultant obstetrician, bringing to seven the number of consultants at the hospital.

This would bring the consultant patient ratio at the hospital to one consultant to every 600 expectant mothers.

A statement from the Health Board said a new €3m extension to the Ennis Road hospital comprising delivery suites, emergency theatre and a reception area is due for completion by February 2005.

It added that the Health Board's long-term plan is the development of a €100m maternity unit at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital campus in Dooradoyle.