Madam, - The executive of the Irish Nurses' Organisation, without consulting its midwifery membership, has announced its intention to withdraw indemnity insurance cover for independent community midwives. This will have serious consequences for Irish women's choices about how and where to birth. A few hospitals and HSE areas with vision do provide home birth as a choice, but the Department of Health and Children and the HSE have consistently failed to provide or support home birth nationally.
Independent midwives provide home birth services to most of the 250 to 300 women annually who choose to have their babies in the security and comfort of their own home.
There are, however, fewer than 20 independent midwives in Ireland so it is almost impossible for women in most counties to access their services. The Home Birth Association has consistently said that demand for home birth exceeds supply and it is this which keeps home birth levels so low. In 2004, the HSE domiciliary births report recommended that home birth services be properly structured. No action has since been taken on this. I hope that the INO can be pressed to maintain cover for home birth, but the Department and the HSE must be exhorted immediately to implement a national support structure for home birth in Ireland. - Yours, etc,
COLM O'BOYLE, Independent Community Midwife, Lecturer in Midwifery, TCD, Dublin 2.