Master of National Maternity Hospital ‘stands over statement’

Master of the National Maternity Hospital Dr Rhona Mahony has said she stands over the statement she made last week in relation to her salary "in its entirety" and said she had "nothing to add to it".

Dr Mahony last week said the €45,000 “privately funded allowance” which a HSE internal audit revealed she was receiving came from fees for seeing private patients.

She said her remuneration as master was “strictly in line” with her contract and was exactly in compliance with public service pay requirements for her position.

“The €45,000 paid to me, and labelled by the media as a ‘top-up’, is in respect of professional fees from private patients attending the National Maternity Hospital.

“With regard to this, I have the same contractual terms as all other medical consultants in the Irish health service who have the same contract.

“The existence of this income has been reported to the HSE in May 2012 as part of a routine confidential internal audit carried out by the HSE. To be absolutely clear, I have never received any additional remuneration from the health service or any other source, including fundraising and charitable donations.”

Dr Mahony said she had been "personally vilified" after details of the additional payments being made to senior health service figures emerged in a Department of Health report. She said this had been "utterly unwarranted".

The Health Service Executive has said the description of a €45,000 payment to Dr Mahony as a "private allowance" in an internal audit report was based on information provided to it by the hospital.

It is understood the hospital board has sought legal advice over the €45,000 payment. This will be shared with board members at its next meeting, due to be held shortly.