Rotunda Dispute Highlights Concerns as Ireland Phased Out Private Maternity Care

Ireland is phasing out private maternity care in public hospitals, a policy decision made three years ago but recently highlighted by a dispute between the Rotunda Hospital and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. This change means public care will be the only option for pregnant women within the next decade, as new consultant contracts since 2023 are public-only.

Maria, a mother of two, experienced significant differences between her public and private maternity care. During her first pregnancy, managed publicly, she had placenta previa and felt her concerns were dismissed. She saw different staff at each appointment, and a consultant only became involved at 36 weeks after another clinician noted she hadn't been referred. Her son was born at 37 weeks and spent 10 days in NICU.

For her second pregnancy, Maria opted for private care, costing around €4,000. She valued having a single consultant who visited daily when her daughter was in NICU, advocating for her to hold and feed her baby—an experience she missed with her firstborn. Maria stated it was «the best money I spent.»

Critics argue that phasing out private care removes a better model, even while acknowledging that consistent care should be universal. The Rotunda and National Maternity Hospital are urging the government to exclude maternity from this plan. While private care offers continuity with one clinician and potentially more appointments, some clinicians privately suggest it can lead to consultants prioritizing private patients. However, the Rotunda argues private care makes hospitals safer by increasing consultant presence. Others counter that more rostered on-site consultants would benefit all patients equally.

Professor Jennifer Walsh, Master at the National Maternity Hospital, opposes private maternity hospitals, calling them a «hugely backward step.» Louise Bailey, who had four children publicly at the Rotunda, found her experience «excellent» and questions the use of patient safety as an argument for private care, emphasizing that all should receive equal care. The 2016 National Maternity Strategy aimed for every woman to have a named lead healthcare professional, either a consultant or midwife, responsible for her care.