ProLife.ie - We are an education and awareness organisation committed to the promotion of the culture of life.

A senior doctor has warned that mothers and their newborn babies may die because the Health Service Executive and Department of Health have “no plans” to deal with an impending staff-shortage crisis at the Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick. Dr Gerry Burke, consultant obstetrician at the hospital, said 47 midwives would take early retirement next month to secure their pensions.
 
“By the end of February, the maternity hospital in Limerick will have lost 47 midwives from its complement of just over 200 in the executive’s retirement scheme,” he said. “No plans to deal with the shortfall have been presented by the HSE or the Department of Health. The shortfall of over 20 per cent of midwifery staff will diminish the quality of maternity care these women and babies receive.”
 
The hospital provides care to more than 6,000 women and about 5,200 newborn infants every year in the midwest region.
 
“Having babies is the core business of human beings. Therefore, the provision of safe maternity services is among the most fundamental duties of the Government. An attack on the country’s maternity services represents a step in the disintegration of civil society. It must not go unchallenged. The community must resist it in the strongest possible terms,” said Dr Burke.
 
Dr Burke, who is active in the Labour Party in Limerick, added that President Michael D Higgins, “has told us that in order to build a real Republic, we need to engage in active citizenship – ‘to be the arrow, not the target’ was how he put it in his inauguration address. It’s time for us to take heed of that.”
The Irish Times. January 25.