Rotunda Hospital Allows Public-Only Consultants Private Work; Government Demands Contract Compliance

The Rotunda Hospital has decided to permit consultants on public-only contracts to treat private patients, a move Tánaiste Simon Harris stated the government expects full compliance with contract terms. Professor Sean Daly, Master of the Rotunda, explained this allowance is due to the lack of private maternity options in Ireland, believing women should have choice. He informed Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill last year, who was reportedly displeased.

Harris emphasized that all hospitals must apply agreed contract terms fully and consistently. He stated that deviating from a signed contract is a serious matter, regardless of a person's pay. The Department of Health wrote to the HSC chief executive on March 18, expressing concerns about continued private practice and demanding adherence to public-only consulting contracts.

Social Democrats TD Padraig Rice criticized the practice as contrary to Sláintecare's goal of universal healthcare based on need, not ability to pay, and removing private healthcare from public hospitals. He argued that private practice drains resources from the public system. Previously, Professor Shane Higgins of the National Maternity Hospital predicted that public-only contracts would phase out private maternity care over five to ten years, noting that a substantial minority of new mothers currently opt for private care, which allows them to choose their consultant for antenatal care and birth.