Master of Rotunda: Lack of investment threatens mothers' and babies' lives

The head of the country's biggest maternity hospital has claimed a lack of investment is putting the lives of pregnant women and their babies at risk.

Master of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin Sam Coulter-Smith said he needs more staff and facilities to cope with the increasing number of births.

In an interview in today's Sunday Business Post, Mr Coulter-Smith said resources were so stretched that he feared that a "bad outcome" was a real possibility.

The hospital is designed to handle 6,500 births per year, but is currently dealing with almost 10,000.