Maternity hospitals have been brought to heel by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
He said he is getting “quite frustrated” that expectant mothers are facing childbirth and crisis situations alone in some maternity centres.
The Minister has intervened after medical chiefs told hospitals they consider it is now safe to allow partners to visit at crucial times during pregnancies, and at birth.
Mr Donnelly has written to the Masters of the country’s main maternity hospitals and managers of other hospitals with maternity units asking any who are not complying why they are not.
There were concerns at the hospitals that it was not safe to have visitors in the clinical setting during Covid.
But this concern was allayed by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, and HSE Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Colm Henry, who both said that a special exemption can apply and that partners could visit as long as crucial public health guidelines were adhered to.
And last week HSE chief executive, Paul Reid, said that the health authorities have no issues with visits specifically for the important 20 week scan and for the birth itself.
However, some hospitals are refusing to comply and this has forced Mr Donnelly’s hand.
He told reporters that, after a meeting with Mr Reid, all the hospitals were written to and asked to send back a full report on the situation at their hospital.
Mr Donnelly said: “I am getting quite frustrated with the lack of progress and I know that the HSE is as well.
“Paul Reid and I spoke this morning and all 19 maternity units are being contacted right now and they are being told very clearly what the guidance is from the Chief Clinical Officer, which is, that at a minimum, there is access for the 20 week scan, for birth and for neonatal.
“And that any maternity unit that does not believe that it is appropriate or safe at the moment must provide a case back.
“That information is being compiled as we speak and I’ll have a report on it from the HSE later on today.”
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