A strong argument for the retention of the threatened maternity unit at South Tipperary General Hospital has been revealed this week in the Health Service Executive's own performance report.
According to figures up to the end of October, the Clonmel hospital has seen a massive 15.3% increase in births in the last year, more than twenty times the national average increase of 0.7%
In stark comparison, St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny, whe
re the South Tipperary hospital's maternity unit is rumoured to be moved to, has actually seen a decrease in births in the last year. According to the HSE, births at the Kilkenny hospital fell by 2.3%
No other hospital in Ireland has seen an increase like STGH this year. The next highest increase was seen in Kerry, with 5.2%, and Letterkenny, with 4.7%
Staff at the Clonmel hospital are adamant these figures present a strong case for the retention of all maternity services at their hospital. According to one member of the medical staff, the figures in the performance report fight for the preservation of acute services at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Other figures revealed in the recent HSE performance report show that the Clonmel hospital and St Luke's have very similar numbers of people attending for accident and emergency care.
In Clonmel the average number of people seen in the emergency department each day is 91. In St Luke's it is 93. A slightly higher number of patients are admitted to hospital in Kilkenny, when compared with STGH.
Some of the reasons for the increase in demand for services at the Clonmel hospital include the closure of Nenagh hospital and also an increase in consultant referrals from the north Cork area.
Senator Phil Prendergast, who is the Labour Party spokesperson on health in the Seanad, and a former midwife at South Tipperary General Hospital, told The Nationalist this week that the figures strengthen the case for retaining all existing health services in South Tipperary. Admissions and referrals for other services at the hospital also increased in the past 12 months, meaning mooted proposals for downgrading STGH are even less feasible than they were a year ago, the senator said.
"The 15% increase in births at South Tipperary General Hospital in the past year meant at least 180 more mothers were cared for and gave birth in Clonmel. The downgrading of Nenagh hospital led to an 8% increase in general admissions to STGH and consultants are also getting referrals from north Cork. This is a new development likely to be caused by the reconfiguration of services in Cork.
"STGH also services west Waterford, so all the evidence suggests the catchment area for the hospital is expanding. This means any proposal to downgrade services will affect even more people than the Steering Committee considering the reconfiguration of health services in the South East is accounting for.
"The financial argument for downgrading STGH is highly questionable as it stands.
