Fears for Ballinasloe's maternity department

The transfer of maternity services from Portiuncula Hospital to University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) could be on the cards after it emerged that an unpublished HSE report recommended such a move. And there are fears that if the maternity department were to be closed it would result in the closure of other services at the hospital. This issue was raised in the Dáil yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon by Fine Gael TDs Denis Naughten and Ulick Burke (East Galway). Speaking to the Westmeath Independent Deputy Naughten branded the proposal as complete lunacy and said it would put the lives of mothers and babies at risk. The move has also been criticised by a leading doctor at the hospital. Consultant physician/cardiologist Dr John Barton said while he hadn't seen the report he had been made aware of its recommendations in recent days and said such a move would be a disaster for the hospital, which not only serves South Westmeath, South Roscommon and East Galway, but parts of mid and north Roscommon, Offaly and North Tipperary. "It would be a disaster for the hospital, this hospital is based on maternity services. I have no idea why they'd recommend that," said Dr Barton. When contacted for comment a HSE spokeswoman said: "There are no plans in place to alter maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital." However, the HSE was unable to shed any light on a report on the issue or its recommendations. "I have a concern that the reconfiguration of hospital services is going to be controlled by the medical profession," he said, saying that while Ireland's doctors were well trained and excellent at their jobs, it was not their job to decide which hospitals should remain open and which should be closed. He said such decisions should have input from the people as the health service belonged to the people. He said the maternity unit at Portiuncula would simply be the thin edge of the wedge and said he was worried that decisions would be made during the economic downturn that we would be paying for for years to come. "In the 1980s huge cuts were made in healthcare and we're still trying to get over them," said Dr Barton. South Roscommon Fine Gael TD Denis Naughten and his party colleague Deputy Ulick Burke raised the issue in the Dáil yesterday afternoon. Just before the Dáil session Deputy Naughten told the Westmeath Independent the HSE had not confirmed or denied the existence of the report, but his understanding was that the report recommended the transfer of maternity services from Portiuncula Hospital to UCHG, which he said was "complete lunacy". "I've had first hand experience of the services in Portiuncula and I could never fault them. To talk about the transfer of services to UCHG is totally unacceptable. It will put undue pressure, stress and risk on pregnant women," said Deputy Naughten. He pointed out that Portiuncula is a major regional hospital, which not only serves East Galway, South Westmeath and Roscommon, but parts of Offaly, North Tipperary and Longford. "Women nearly as far as Boyle are travelling to Portiuncula, that's one hour and 20 minutes. You're talking about adding another hour to that and that's putting lives at risk, the lives of mothers and babies," said Deputy Naughten. Deputy Naughten said the closure of maternity services at the hospital would impact on other services at the hospital. "If maternity goes it will be very hard to justify paediatrics and surgery, then A&E will go and then intensive care and coronary. It's the snowball affect," he said.