![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/00246e9d-614.jpg\"\/)
\nhroughout the day, a resolution to the Rotunda row seemed far away<\/p>\n
Tonight, the row abates.<\/p>\n
The country’s largest maternity hospital and the Government had been in dispute over allowing consultants carry out private work despite signing a public-only contract three years ago.<\/p>\n
Throughout the day, a resolution to the Rotunda row seemed far away as coalition figures came out to criticise the Hospital.<\/p>\n
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said the Rotunda couldn’t adopt an “a la carte” approach to consultant contracts.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach too said it was “unacceptable” that the agreement struck three years ago would “overnight and behind the scenes be undermined”.<\/p>\n
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had refused to meet the Rotunda as she waited for the hospital to provide the HSE with an audit of all the private work carried out by consultants on public contracts.<\/p>\n
The hospital faced the threat of a withdrawal of State funding pending the outcome of this audit.<\/p>\n
\nhroughout the day, a resolution to the Rotunda row seemed far away<\/p>\n
This afternoon, Ms Carroll MacNeill said the audit would not be completed by the initial deadline of close of business today due to a bereavement at the Rotunda.<\/p>\n
But the critical moment came this evening following a meeting of the Rotunda’s Board of Governors, which includes Dublin City Councillors and an Archbishop.<\/a><\/p>\n The Rotunda was standing back from its initial insistence that an exception should be made for its public consultants to treat private patients.<\/p>\n Consultants on public-only contracts will no longer treat private patients, the board said in a statement.<\/p>\n For the board, the threat of a withdrawal of funding was too big a risk to take, noting how ” it was something it couldn’t countenance because of the potential consequences for women and babies”.<\/p>\n The minister welcomed the announcement, as did Opposition politicians who said the debate should now turn to how to better resource maternity services.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n It is understood the Rotunda also provided the HSE with the list of private work carried out by consultants on public contracts.<\/p>\n The contents of this list and associated information will likely determine whether this row is over for good or is to flare up again.<\/p>\n The climbdown from the Rotunda also represents a political win for Ms Carroll MacNeill.<\/p>\n Many of her Cabinet colleagues came out in support of her stance against the hospital but it was not universally popular.<\/p>\n Some in Government reported receiving a growing level of correspondence from worried constituents on the issue.<\/p>\n