Donnelly: 14 of 19 maternity units allowing partners attend antenatal appointments

The Health Minister said local reasons meant five hospitals could not allow partners onto maternity wards.

Earlier this week the health minister had expressed his frustration at the refusal of some maternity hospitals to allow partners to attend during scans and birth. File Picture: iStock

Health Minister Stephen Donnely has said that 14 of the 19 maternity units in the country are complying with the instruction that partners should be allowed to attend antenatal appointments. 

Speaking of the difference in responses by maternity units to partners attending appointments, Mr Donnelly told Newstalk this morning that there were five units - at South Tipperary General Hospital, University Hospital Waterford, Wexford General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny and Letterkenny University Hospital - where local reasons meant allowing partners onto the wards could not be allowed.