Sir, - I was shocked and dismayed to read the article by Kathryn Holmquist (The Irish Times, October 25th) regarding a possible move of the National Maternity Hospital from Holles Street to a site at St Vincent's Hospital. Whereas Caroline O'Doherty wrote two factual articles on the possibilities of such a move and the obstacles that may be encountered in doing so, Ms Holmquist's article was flippant, offensive and a great disservice to the patients attending the National Maternity Hospital.
The fundamental reasons for a move to St Vincent's are due to our current infrastructural deficits - the extra capacity a move to St Vincent's would afford the hospital, the fact that this hospital could be built more quickly, and the obvious values of linking with a general hospital site. It has nothing to do with the appeasement of "southside private mothers' attending rooms in the Blackrock Clinic", as Ms Holmquist suggests. It is worth pointing out to Ms Holmquist that only 20 per cent of the patients who attend this hospital are private patients. We remain a public hospital with private beds and not a private hospital like Mount Carmel.
Secondly, very few of our consultants now have consulting suites outside the hospital, as most prefer to see their private patients on the hospital site itself. Thirdly, the vast majority of mothers attending this hospital come here so that a healthy baby is delivered to a healthy mother and are less concerned with the dΘcor of the hospital.
Finally, any move to St Vincent's Hospital would not see a dismantling of the active management of labour, as she states. The active management of labour continues to evolve and is not an enforced policy of "breaking of the waters" as she indicates in her article. Secondly, it does not lead to an increase in epidural anaesthesia as most women have their epidural anaesthesia long before oxytocin is ever commenced. Finally, the active management of labour has consistently resulted in a reduction in Caesarean rates rather than an increase and this can be clearly seen over the last 40 years where the National Maternity Hospital will continue to have the lowest Caesarean section rate in the country.
Ms. Holmquist owes the hospital and its patients a sincere apology. - Yours, etc.,
Declan Keane, MD, FRCPI, MRCOG, Master, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2.