Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway West Deputy Catherine Connolly has introduced a motion in the Dáil calling for the urgent implementation of the National Maternity Strategy.
Deputy Connolly said despite the "Creating a Better Future Together" strategy being launched in 2016, there's been very little progress in its implementation.
The strategy was developed in the wake of the death of Savita Halappanavar at UHG in 2012.
Addressing the Dáil, Deputy Connolly said a HIQA report last year on Ireland's maternity hospitals highlighted a lack of clarity and leadership within the HSE in relation to the strategy.
She also said the report made a number of recommendations which, to-date, have not been progressed.
Deputy Connolly further urged the Government to ensure that the National Maternity Hospital remains entirely within public ownership.
Speaking in response, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly accepted Deputy Connolly's motion and said the Government would be supporting it.
He acknowledged that there is still much work to be done in the area of women's healthcare in this country.
Deputy Connolly says the new model of maternity care under the National Maternity Strategy is long overdue.
To hear more, tune into Galway Bay fm news.
