Appeal made for Covid restrictions to be relaxed at maternity unit at Tipperary University Hospital

Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn said restrictions being imposed on pregnant women and their partners at Tipperary University Hospital “are outrageous and causing unnecessary stress for expectant parents”.

 Senator Ahearn said expectant mothers were being instructed to attend scans at a hospital on their own, despite hospital management informing the government their partners can accompany them.

Senator Ahearn said he has written to management at the Clonmel hospital reiterating they are not complying with current Government advice.

“The management of the hospital have issued a very disappointing response whereby they state that ‘partners are allowed attend the anomaly scan and this has been the case since March 2021’.

“However, I have spoken to numerous women and I have seen letters sent to expectant mothers for anomaly scans whereby they have been told ‘to assist with social distancing, please attend your appointment on your own’. This sentence is underlined to reiterate the point. Management are telling pregnant women one thing and telling the government another.

“This is a direct contradiction and regardless of their shared campus, they have an obligation to comply with Government advice. The management at Tipperary University Hospital are clearly not doing what they are telling Government,” Senator Ahearn said.

“I have spoken with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on this issue and he has reiterated once again that all maternity hospitals should relax their restrictions for expectant parents. The Minister has given a directive and all hospitals should comply.

“I have spoken to pregnant women who won’t attend Clonmel hospital due to these restrictions and are travelling to hospitals further away such as Cork or Waterford to attend maternity services.

“There is no reason that women should be delaying going to the hospital to receive medical care or for them to have to attend scans alone due to restrictions.

“Hospitals who are not compliant are robbing mothers of much needed support and fathers of an important experience,” Senator Ahearn concluded.