St Vincent’s rejects claims that it bans sterilisation

St Vincent’s University Hospital has rejected claims that it bans sterilisation for reasons related to its Catholic ethos.

"There is no prohibition on any medical procedure, whether elective or emergency, that is clinically indicated, including vasectomy or tubal ligation," a spokesman said in response to a query from The Irish Times.

Critics of the planned move of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) to St Vincent's campus have claimed the Catholic ethos of St Vincent's could have ethical implications for maternity practice.

The National Women’s Council said yesterday it had concerns that the Catholic ethos of St Vincent’s, which is owned by the Religious Sisters of Charity, would negatively affect women’s access to reproductive services such as IVF, or to abortion under existing legislation.

Trust

“Women in Ireland deserve a state-of-the-art national maternity hospital which puts women’s health, wellbeing and choices at the centre of all care. Women must be able to trust their maternity hospital that they will be treated in a compassionate and non-judgmental way,” said director Orla O’Connor.

The two voluntary hospitals are in dispute over the governance structures that would apply after the transfer of the NMH from Holles Street takes place. St Vincent's wants the Holles Street board dissolved and its governance largely subsumed into that of the adult hospital. Holles Street maintains it has Department of Health backing for continuing with its own board and governance structure.

The board of St Vincent's discussed the continuing impasse at a meeting on Thursday, after which chairman Jimmy Menton wrote to the department saying his hospital remained open to talks on a solution.

‘Dismayed’

In his letter, Mr Menton said St Vincent’s was “dismayed and extremely offended” by the behaviour and comments of “NMH representatives” in the recent past. “We believe that the approach which they have taken is misguided and counterproductive in progressing this project.”

He pointed out that the majority of consultants in Holles Street had joint appointments with St Vincent’s. He claimed a substantial number of these consultants were in favour of the proposals put forward by St Vincent’s. This assertion is denied by the NMH.

Mr Menton accused the maternity hospital of refusing to engage meaningfully with St Vincent’s on governance and added: “It seems pointless and futile in present circumstances to engage in meetings on detailed project planning in a situation where we are making no progress whatsoever on campus governance.”

The planning application for the new maternity hospital to be built at St Vincent’s has been ready for months, but cannot be submitted until the current row is resolved.