Roadmap for maternal care

The Green Party has today launched a roadmap for maternal care, calling for urgent action to address the shortfall in services and supports for pregnant women and new mothers. As the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and the enormous impact it has had on our health services, we need to prioritise women’s health and wellbeing which have been long neglected.

Launching the paper, Neasa Hourigan said:,

“Prior to the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic, we were all acutely aware of the improvements needed across a range of issues relating to women’s health and wellbeing in Ireland. The arrival of Covid-19 has not only served to exacerbate these deficiencies but also highlighted how fragile these services and supports were to begin with. It is crucial that as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic period, we take a critical look at these vital services and set out a plan to build back better and ensure that we have a robust and resilient system of care and support for women.”

The roadmap lays out a number of key priorities over the next 12 months. These include:

• The creation of a Family Centred Plan for Maternal Care. The last year has been very difficult for those accessing services. I’m particularly interested in increasing holistic supports for peri-natal mental health and ensuring every group in society as access to care.

• A Two Year Extension and Dedicated Funding Package for the National Breastfeeding Action Plan. We have some of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the EU and targets from the existing plan that remain unfunded and unmet but that is due to end in 2021.

• Supporting the Milk Bank Scheme across Ireland. A truly all-island project, the milk bank needs support. Some incredible volunteers are involved in this service and a focus on this scheme would be very welcome.

• A Commitment to Reproductive Rights based Healthcare. For those of us that worked so hard on #Repeal it’s important that the review of legislation is independent and truly listens to the experience of those accessing services. There’s much work still to be done.