Private maternity care no longer offered at two hospitals

Private maternity care is no longer available at Sligo University Hospital and Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, as consultants at these facilities have moved to new public-only contracts. This transition, which began at the start of the year, means doctors are now banned from undertaking private work within public hospitals. A third hospital, Portiuncula Hospital in Galway, now has only one consultant remaining who can accept private patients, following the departure of two colleagues from private practice.

The introduction of these new public-only contracts has significant implications for maternity services in Ireland. While signing the new contract was voluntary for consultants on older public-private agreements, it is compulsory for newer staff who qualified after 2023. This policy is set to bring about the eventual cessation of all private and semi-private maternity care across the country as older consultants retire and are replaced by those on the new public-only terms.

HSE West and North West confirmed that private maternity care at Sligo University Hospital ended on December 31, 2025, as the consultant providing the service moved to a Public Only Consultant Contract. Similarly, HSE Dublin and Midlands stated that private maternity care is no longer available at Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, also linking the change to staff transitioning to public-only contracts. Sligo University Hospital had not previously offered semi-private care.

Dr. Marie-Christine De Tavernier, a consultant obstetrician at Portiuncula Hospital, expressed concern that women in Ireland were not adequately informed about the consequences of the Sláintecare reforms on maternity services. "Over time, when the older consultants will retire, no private maternity care option will be available to them unlike any other speciality in the state," she told The Irish Times. Currently, she is the only consultant offering private care at the unit, with no patients being turned away except during her annual leave.

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My patients express frequently the fact that the women of Ireland were not informed of the consequences of Sláintecare to the maternity services. Over time, when the older consultants will retire, no private maternity care option will be available to them unlike any other speciality in the state.