Portiuncula protest rally to take place in Ballinasloe this Saturday
A major protest rally in Ballinasloe, to highlight concerns over the downgrading of maternity services at Portiuncula hospital, has been called for this Saturday, August 16.
The protest rally is due to assemble at 12 noon at the Fairgreen carpark, and its theme is 'Care Can't Wait – Protect Maternity Services at Portiuncula University Hospital'.
It is being organised by the Portiuncula Maternity Alliance Group, which is encouraging people to "wear club or county colours and bring flags" on the day.
The rally was announced after a public meeting organised by the Portiuncula Maternity Alliance attracted a standing-room-only crowd of over 300 people in Gullane’s Hotel on Tuesday of last week, August 5.
The meeting discussed the rising level of concern about the "quiet downgrading" of Portiuncula's maternity services.
The HSE recently announced that, on foot of external reviews into the care provided to five women and their babies at the hospital, it would be transferring high-risk pregnancies elsewhere.
Local Independent councillor Evelyn Parsons co-founded the Portiuncula Maternity Alliance, along with a concerned mother, following the HSE announcement on high-risk pregnancy care in mid-July.
"This is not just a local issue – this is a national disgrace," said Cllr Parsons. "The HSE has bypassed women, families, GPs, clinicians and even frontline midwives and obstetricians.
"They have failed to explain why safe, trusted maternity care at Portiuncula University Hospital is not being resourced properly, and why vital services are being stripped from rural communities without transparency, risk assessment, or equality oversight."
At the meeting last week, Cllr Parsons outlined "the essential role of Portiuncula's maternity unit, ongoing governance failings within the regional structure, and serious safety risks posed by unconsulted centralisation—particularly for rural women now facing longer journeys and reduced access".
The meeting was chaired by Dr Kevin Connolly, retired paediatrician and former Portiuncula consultant, and it featured cross-party political attendance, moving community testimony, and contributions from the floor.
A powerful moment came with the reading of a letter from a mother whose care had recently been reviewed at Portiuncula.
Shared with permission, the letter praised the staff for their exceptional care and compassion, while condemning what was described as the misuse of the review process as a pretext for cutting services.
Speakers and attendees voiced their strong support for Portiuncula hospital staff, many of whom continue to provide safe care in very challenging circumstances.
"The public deserves to know what is happening," said Cllr Parsons. "The HSE has introduced changes with no consultation, no clinical justification, and no public transparency—representing a real downgrade for women across our region.
"Our staff have been left without answers to support worried patients. They deserve communication and support, not blame."
The timing of the Portiuncula announcement coincided with the summer recess of the Dáil, Seanad, Galway County Council and the Regional Health Forum West (RHFW), which, Cllr Parsons said, had "effectively blocked" formal scrutiny of the decision.
A request from Cllr Parsons for an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has been acknowledged, via Minister Seán Canney. The Minister for Health has agreed to a meeting, but no date has yet been given.
"We've used every democratic channel available," said Cllr Parsons. "But when the system goes quiet, the people must speak louder.”
Announcing the public protest rally this Saturday, Cllr Parsons said: "Portiuncula University Hospital has long provided high-quality care to mothers from across a wide region. It is one of the most geographically accessible maternity units in the country, located just 800 metres off the M6 motorway.
"Its service area includes Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Longford, Offaly, Leitrim, Tipperary, Clare, and beyond, all of which rely on the hospital as a safe, central and reachable location for maternity care."
In reference to Saturday's rally, she said: "Everyone is encouraged to wear their county or club colours, bring their flags, and make their voices heard.
"This is about more than one hospital or one community - it's about equity, safety, and the future of rural maternity care for a vast region of our country. If we stay silent now, there may be no service left to fight for in the future," Cllr Parsons concluded.