Colin Black

Why?

Because of what some of the other callers have pointed out, there is no dedicated private facility that offers private obstetric care.

Surgeons, cardiologists, physicians, they all have the option.

Once you're phased out of the public, they can go to the Hermitage, Black Rock Clinic, wherever you like, and they can work privately there.

But it is obvious that Mount Carmel has been closed for a long time, so there is no facility for obstetricians to provide private care in that setting.

So the only setting they have to do it is in the public hospital.

So it was obvious that this was going to be the case.

It's been a couple of years and you can say go and build a new hospital, but I work in Crumlin, we've been waiting a long time for our new hospital, so to build a new facility in that space of time is not possible.

And so that's one side of the coin.

The other side of the coin is, you know, if consultants in other public systems see obstetricians being permitted to carry on in the way they practiced prior to this new POC 23 contract,

Surely there's going to be a few people making moves to say, well, they're doing it.

Why can't we do it back in the public system where we have worked very hard to employ sláinte care and move the private care out of the public system?

Well, I guess, yeah, in effect, yeah.

I mean, if you want to get to the semantics of it, then yes, you are denying them a choice if there is no facility to do so.

So the only option is to continue letting the obstetricians work in the public system.

But in saying that, there's a contract there, but no alternative has been put in place for obstetricians to work privately in another facility.

So while we all feel, well, everyone feels that women obviously should have the choice, it's very difficult for them to be given a clear choice whilst everyone is, you know, inverted commas, playing by the rules and abiding by what contract you've signed.

Can I just say, the public system in Ireland is phenomenal.

The difficulty is often getting into the system, but once you're there, the care is superb.

I work in Crumlin in a paediatric unit.