Funding for new developments in the National Maternity Strategy has been halted, just three years after the plan was unveiled by then minister for health Leo Varadkar. Maternity services have been the subject of scrutiny again since the death of Marie Downey and her son, Darragh, in a single room at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) last week. Patient representative Róisín Molloy, a member of the National Maternity Strategy steering group, criticised the loss of ringfenced funding for the plan. “The only way to prevent further deaths and injuries to others is to properly fund the maternity strategy and make public servants accountable for their actions,” she said. No figure is given for spending on the maternity strategy.

Source: The Irish Times April 01, 2019 00:00 UTC