INO: Maternity Hospital Delay Not About Money

The Irish Nurses Organisation has rejected suggestions that the delay in opening the new maternity hospital in Cork was due to a demand for more money.

The union said the opening of the €75m facility was postponed for a week because of grave concerns about staffing levels there.

The INO is hitting out at the Health Service Executive for failing to honour Labour Court recommendations to have 375 midwives recruited for the original opening time of yesterday afternoon.

The INO’s Patsy Doyle said the HSE is solely to blame for the delay.

“They did not deliver on their commitment to the Labour Court; they did not deliver on their commitment to the midwives and nurses that they would have, on the day of opening, 375 midwives. It’s as simple as that.”

“If it was about money, this would have been solved a long time ago,” she said.