In light of the shocking and often tragic stories published regarding the treatment of mothers and babies in our hospitals, the latest criticism of Ireland's maternity services should not come as a surprise.

 

Alarming revelations were made today by the masters of the Rotunda and Coombe maternity hospitals, as they presented a new report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children.

 

Criticising our maternity services and drawing attention to the various tragic stories of the past few years, Dr Sam Coulter Smith and Dr Sharon Sheehan shared some concerning findings.

 

According to their report into our maternity hospitals, women whose babies had died were often forced to share wards with other mothers and their newborns, due to poor conditions and services. Also, women whose babies had died have regularly found themselves sitting next to a mother with a child while waiting in hospital.

 

While Dr Coulter Smith did concede that our maternal mortality rates fare well in comparison to other countries, he warned that our high birth rate in recent years has not been adequately met with appropriate advancements in equipment and services.

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