Rotunda Hospital’s clash with Coalition over private maternity care deepens
Board members at the Rotunda Hospital are continuing to refuse a Government order to stop public-only consultants caring for private patients.
The dispute could result in HSE funding for the hospital being withdrawn.
The board of the maternity hospital held a general meeting on Friday and says it has requested a meeting with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to explain the rationale behind its decision.
Dr. Peter Boylan, former master of the National Maternity Hospital, says public patients often benefit from the availability of consultants who also care for private patients.
"Now the problem with only having public consultants on a public-only contract is when they are off call, they are off call. They are not available.
"When you have a cohort of consultants for our private patients, they are also available for public patients in case of emergency.
The number of consultant obstetricians on public-only contracts at the Rotunda is small, with just one doctor delivering two private patient babies under this model between January and March of this year.
