Cabinet Ministers have decided to hold off on approving proposals to relocate the National Maternity Hospital at a site at St Vincent’s campus.
A Cabinet source said Fine Gael and Green Party female Cabinet Ministers raised concerns about the plan to push ahead with the development of the new hospital and sought assurances from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that all legal services including abortion would be accessible to women at the new maternity hospital.
A Cabinet source said Green Party Minister Catherine Martin was “very vocal” about the framework governing the move.
Read More: Controversial National Maternity Hospital proposals to go before Cabinet as Ministers face pressure
Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys also questioned Minister Donnelly as Opposition TDs called for assurances of clinical independence.
Minister Martin also expressed that she felt the protection of services needed to be made clearer.
It’s understood the memo brought forward by Minister Donnelly will be reconsidered in two weeks’ time.
Minister Donnelly will publish legal agreements which set up new structures for the hospital and he will also attend the Oireachtas Committee on Health to answer questions on the plan.
Speaking at a press conference late on Tuesday night, Minister Donnelly admitted “genuine concerns” have been raised.
He said: “Various concerns have been made and is the investment of the State being protected?
“The biggest concern people are raising is they want absolute reassurance that the new hospital will be fully independent, clinically independent and will offer all services.
“That is absolutely the case.
“One of the things we want to do now is to publish the documents so that people can see for themselves the clinical protection.”
Minister Donnelly revealed at the press conference that he, the Minister for Health, will own a ‘Golden Share’ in the company “which allows the Minister to intervene if for some reason, all clinical services are not being provided.”
When asked why he failed to convince his Cabinet colleagues to sign-off on the memo on Tuesday, Minister Donnelly said the discussion was about what legal protections were in place.
He said Cabinet agreed that there are members of the public with genuine concerns.
He said “given the history in this State of women’s healthcare, lets publish the documents first, let people see all the documentation first, it’s a respectful approach.”
The selection of the hospital’s location has been highly contentious due to the site’s ownership by the Religious Sisters of Charity, which led to questions about whether Catholic ethos could influence medical practices at the publicly funded hospital, including termination of pregnancies.
Last week, the nuns confirmed that they made the transfer of its shareholdings to St Vincent’s Holdings - a new holding company which would lease the land to the State for the new €1 billion hospital.
At a press conference on Tuesday night, a fact sheet about the new National Maternity Hospital stated that all procedures will be accessible at the new National Maternity Hospital including abortion, tubal ligation, fertility services and gender reassignment procedures.
However, Cabinet holding off approving Minister Donnelly’s memo on Tuesday has been viewed as a sign from some Cabinet sources that the memo was rushed and “does not help the controversy around the hospital.”
Before Cabinet, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was adamant that there would be no further delay on the development of the hospital.
He said he was “genuinely satisfied that safeguards are in place.”
Mr Martin said the existing hospital facilities at Holles Street are not fit for purpose and do not serve women today well, in terms of the physical conditions.
The fact sheet circulated at Tuesday night’s press conference states that every year, six to 10 critically ill women are transferred to receive intensive care not available on site at Holles Street.
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