![\"health-minister-jennifer-carroll-macneill-speaks-to-the-media-outside-government-buildings-in-dublin-about-the-row-with-the-rotunda-hospital-over-the-provision-of-private-maternity-care-on-public-only\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1790860216_302_.jpeg\")
\n Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, the health minister, was inundated with correspondence from members of the public expressing anger and disappointment at the government\u2019s stance on the Rotunda private maternity care controversy.<\/p>\n
Women accused the minister of\u00a0\u201dgrandstanding\u201d, \u201cbullying\u201d and ignoring women\u2019s concerns in correspondence released to\u00a0The Journal under freedom of information.<\/p>\n
Many members of the public accused the minister of removing women\u2019s choice over their care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In June, the Rotunda Hospital was in a stand-off with the government and HSE over its decision to allow consultants on public-only contracts to do work for private patients on the grounds of the Rotunda, which is not allowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carroll MacNeill, speaking on Today with David McCullagh on RT\u00c9 Radio 1, threatened to defund the hospital over its position. In the end, the hospital climbed down, with the board stating that consultants on public-only contracts would no longer treat private patients.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The volume of correspondence sent to the minister\u2019s office was such that The Journal had to restrict its request for release of anonymised documents by the Department of Health to a period of just three days. Only one of the messages expressed support for the government\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
Some of the correspondence was forwarded to the minister\u2019s office after being sent in by members of the public to other politicians, including T\u00e1naiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris. The correspondence seen by\u00a0The Journal suggests the controversy particularly exercised Fine Gael voters.\n<\/p>\n
Health minister\u2019s interview with RT\u00c9\u2019s David McCullagh\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three days after the health minister\u2019s interview on RT\u00c9 Radio 1, where defunding the hospital was raised by the minister, one woman accused the minister of \u201cgrandstanding\u201d on the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said as a woman who used private maternity care, she found the minister\u2019s treatment of women\u00a0as \u201cscandalous and self-promoting\u201d.<\/p>\n
She told the minister she experienced a\u00a0\u201dnightmare\u201d in the public system, and found private care a totally different experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen should always have choice,\u201d said this woman, who concluded her email to the minister by saying: \u201cI am very disappointed in you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an email to T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris and the health minister, one woman said she was fully behind the Rotunda Hospital board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are trying to protect the right of women to choose the healthcare relevant to them. I feel utter disappointment in the threats by the minister to stall funding to a critically needed expansion of the Rotunda,\u201d the email stated, with this woman stating that the funding is a wholly separate issue.<\/p>\n
She said the threat by the health minister was an \u201cover-the-top judgement call\u201d when she should have engaged in talks with the consultants.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen want choice, many of us forgo other things in order to find the money for private healthcare as they have concerns and fears and want extra scans and continuity of care,\u201d this correspondence read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n
Fine Gael voters\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another woman said she has always given Fine Gael her first or second preference vote during elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is safe to say that I am a committed Fine Gael supporter,\u201d she said, with this emailer stating that it was out of loyalty that she felt compelled to write to the minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said the public-only consultant contracts have resulted in the complete elimination of choice in maternity care for all women.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery person should have access to the highest standards of healthcare, but every person in Ireland should also have the agency to make informed personal choices about their health.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour government has removed that agency from all expectant and future mothers. I find it difficult to imagine a policy outcome of this nature being accepted if it relates to men\u2019s health,\u201d the email read.<\/p>\n
This woman said she was living in the Middle East now and was thinking of returning to Ireland to start a family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am struck by the irony that I live in one of the strictest countries on earth for women\u2019s rights yet here, I have the agency to make decisions about the type of maternity care I want,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another email to the minister said she is concerned that the promise of continuity of care in the public maternity system will never be delivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Asked to guarantee continuity of care in public care<\/p>\n
She asked the minister if she realistically could guarantee that continuity of care in the public system will ever be delivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A statement from the HSE and the Department of Health to The Journal regarding what is offered to women in the public system stated that continuity of care is a key objective of the National Maternity Strategy.<\/p>\n
However, the HSE said \u201cin practice, there is no guarantee that a woman in the public system will see the same consultant obstetrician or the same individual midwife at every appointment\u201d.<\/p>\n
It said that in most instances, women are cared for appropriately by a multidisciplinary team and may see different members of that team over the course of their pregnancy, labour and postnatal care.<\/p>\n
In another correspondence to the minister, a woman said she was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d by Carroll MacNeill\u2019s response to the controversy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I appreciate the need for accountability and compliance with contractual arrangements, I am concerned that the policy direction being pursued risks removing or severely limiting women\u2019s ability to choose private maternity care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Ireland, patients can choose whether to access public or private care for many medical procedures. Yet when it comes to childbirth, one of the most significant, vulnerable, and potentially high-risk events in a woman\u2019s life, the choice to access private care is being revoked,\u201d this email read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They noted the minister\u2019s comments regarding the State effectively bearing the insurance risk in maternity care, in light of the very significant payouts that can arise from birth injury claims.<\/p>\n
They accepted it was a serious issue, but one the government should solve rather than telling women that they must have fewer choices than patients accessing other forms of healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe existence of risk in maternity care is why many women value continuity of consultant-led care so highly,\u201d they said, adding:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I am particularly disappointed because I voted for you in the last general election.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is difficult to understand why, at a time when we rightly speak so often about empowering women and respecting their healthcare decisions, policies are being advanced that could reduce the options available to expectant mothers,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The minister also received correspondence from one member of the public who said they didn\u2019t believe women should have to pay private fees to feel safe and have a non-traumatic experience. However, she said it is unfortunately the reality that years of underinvestment.<\/p>\n
She said that while the principle of equal access to medical care is admirable, she believes maternity care is unique.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that you have used bullying tactics in your interaction with the Rotunda. You prioritised your ego in your quest for a political victory. What are you planning to do in the immediate future to improve the level of care offered in the public maternity system and to make women feel secure in the care that they receive in the absence of private care?\u201d asked this person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minister commended on having \u2018backbone\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the majority of the correspondence over three days was critical of the health minister, one member of the public said they respected Carroll MacNeill showing \u201cbackbone\u201d, stating that it is seldom you see ministers following through on policy.<\/p>\n
She said the minister could rest assured she has her vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another member of the public wrote to the health minister, stating that while they do not object to the principle of Sl\u00e1intecare, they believe maternity care should be an exception because there is no private maternity hospital in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not about fairness, this is about choice, and the government respecting my choice. Many friends and neighbours feel the same way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She noted that many women pay to go private, adding:<\/p>\n
I am sure many of them would be natural Fine Gael voters.<\/p>\n
She questioned why people would continue to vote for Fine Gael when this government \u201cignores our concerns\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI listened to your radio interview last week and you didn\u2019t give one good reason why there should not be a derogation for maternity care to be allowed to be practised privately in public hospitals,\u201d wrote another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They noted that people will have a choice to go to a private cardiologist or oncologist in the future but not an obstetrician.<\/p>\n
She asked why a derogation cannot be given to maternity care, noting that the minister said that everyone should have consultant-led continuity of care if they wish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This woman said that will never become a reality for all women, adding that in the meantime a reduction of care will happen across the public system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has continually let down the people and the women of Ireland; this will be no different,\u201d they said, adding, \u201cright now, you have lost a voter for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
One emailer said they had never written to a politician or minister, but they wanted to voice their concerns, calling the change a \u201ctravesty\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They said women should have the right to choose private healthcare during their pregnancy, just as a man with a prostate issue has the right to choose to be treated in a private hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor far too long this country has failed to protect women and our right to access to the appropriate healthcare \u2013 this has to stop,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another said:<\/p>\n
You are on the wrong side of this and the wrong side of women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They said the health minister should be advocating for women, \u201cinstead you are failing us\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One email to the T\u00e1naiste urged Harris to intervene. \u201cI am asking you to look at this issue and find a solution that works for women and does not take away their choice. All the progressive social steps that Fine Gael-led while in government this is so backward and it is so disappointing to see Irish women treated like this,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A letter written to TD Maeve O\u2019Connell was passed on to the minister\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
This person said they were deeply disappointed with Fine Gael\u2019s stance on phasing out private maternity care, stating that they were previously a supporter of the party.<\/p>\n
They explained they are in the higher tax bracket and believe that individuals should retain the freedom to choose the model of care that best suits their circumstances, including private maternity care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They said the suggestion that private maternity care is a luxury for those who wish to skip the queue fails to recognise the importance many women place on continuity of care, consultant-led services and the ability to make informed choices about their pregnancy and birth experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cRestricting access to existing maternity care options is not, in my view, progress.
While I have always voted for Fine Gael in previous elections, this issue has caused me to seriously reconsider my future voting intentions. I know many people in similar circumstances who feel the same and Fine Gael\u2019s failure to listen to what women actually want, will have consequences,\u201d they concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the controversy has erupted with private care, an advocacy group, \u2018Our Maternity Choice\u2019, has been established and is lobbying for the preservation of private care. The group has launched a petition which has gathered nearly 8,000 signatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, the health minister, was inundated with correspondence from members of the public expressing anger and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":641634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,66413,396,61,60,1421,9386,25897,207000,66706],"class_list":["post-641633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-health-minister","tag-healthcare","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-jennifer-carroll-macneill","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnant-women","tag-private-maternity-care","tag-tml"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}