Protesters want public to own maternity hospital

By Michael Cogley
Times (UK)
May 8, 2017

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/protesters-demand-secular-maternity-hospital-kr008czrg

More than 1,500 people marched in Dublin yesterday against the Sisters of Charity taking ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital.

The Times reported in March that the Sisters of Charity, which owns St Vincent’s Healthcare Group, would own the new hospital on the Elm Park site in Dublin after it is built with €300 million of taxpayers’ money.

The protest march, which began at the Garden of Remembrance and finished at Merrion Square, was organised by Uplift, a campaign organisation. The rally ended up with a presentation of a petition of 103,607 signatures printed on 50 metres of paper close to the current maternity hospital on Holles Street. The petition aims to prevent the Sisters of Charity becoming the sole owners of the hospital.

Siobhán O’ Donoghue, the director of Uplift, said the petition was collected over two weeks and would keep pressure on Simon Harris, the health minister.