Plans are expected to be revealed soon to allow partners of pregnant women and new mothers to accompany them to maternity hospitals for scans and other medical appointments. This is good news and a uniformed approached across all maternity hospitals must now be the expected according to a local Senator.
“This follows months of campaigning for the lifting of restrictions and more recent recommendations from HSE clinical director Dr Peter McKenna that maternity services should be opened and there should be uniformity across the country.,” said Laois Senator Fiona O’Loughlin
“It also follows my own raising of the issue in the Seanad last week, in which I backed local campaigner Emma Cross of In Our Shoes call that maternity units should allow partners into early labour and to all scans. I have called on the Minister for Health to lift restrictions on partners in maternity hospitals now that the majority of healthcare workers have been vaccinated, and have also spoken to the Taoiseach.”
Rathangan mum of one Emma continues to highlight the plight of people accessing maternity care, which include over-54,000 signature strong petition to allow partners to be present for the entire duration of labour and at all antenatal scans, which was presented to various maternity units in December.
However, over a year since their implementation, there has been very limited easing of restrictions in maternity care, despite very high levels of staff vaccination.
“The unified aspect of this is important as in Ireland, each of the 19 maternity units are operating at different levels of restrictions with some more relaxed than others,” concluded Senator O’Loughlin