Midwives demand extra resources
The Irish Nurses Organisation is accusing the health service of failing to provide maternity units with the resources they require.
The organisation claims hospital managers have failed to recognise that most maternity units are under-staffed and operating with the resources needed to deal with a growing population.
The accusation is being levelled as midwives from across the country gather in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, for their annual delegate conference.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, INO spokesman Liam Doran said the Government needed to make changes to meet the requirements of mothers.
"They've got to put more resources into maternity services, they've got to listen to mothers as to how they want those services delivered and they've got to equip midwives to provide a high level of care, intervention where and when the mother wants it and in a manner in which the mother wants it," he said.
"That's the message and it's got to be listened to rather than, at the moment, an adherence to a hospital-based model of obstetric care which isn't servicing the community in the way it should."
