asked the Minister for Health if he will state the source, nature and extent of the obligation on maternity hospitals to care for infants and, in particular, the position in relation to a young infant who becomes ill subsequent to release from the maternity hospital, but within six weeks from birth.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Care for Infants.
179.
Section 17 of the Health Act, 1953, provides that health authorities shall make available medical, surgical, hospital, specialist and nursing services for infants up to the age of six weeks whose mothers are eligible for services under the Act. The relevant regulations, that is, the Maternity and Child Health Services Regulations, 1954 and 1964, specify that hospital services in such cases may be provided by the health authority either in their own hospitals or in those operated by other authorities with whom they have made arrangements.
Maternity hospitals provide care for the infants born in these hospitals and also for the mothers. If an infant should become ill while in the hospital the necessary treatment would be provided there or in a children's or other appropriate hospital. Two of the Dublin voluntary maternity hospitals also operate regular arrangements for a home care service given by hospital nurses for city mothers and their infants following their discharge from hospital.
In the particular situation of an infant who falls ill following discharge from a maternity hospital and requires treatment in hospital it is a matter for medical judgement in each case as to the particular hospital which would be appropriate to deal with the case. Some maternity hospitals have special units to which sick infants recently discharged might safely be admitted for treatment. Owing to the risk of the introduction of infection other maternity hospitals and units do not re-admit infants who have been discharged and in such cases the sick infant should be referred to a children's, infectious diseases or other appropriate hospital.
Is the Minister aware that, in fact, there is considerable difficulty in getting an infant under six weeks of age into a hospital if the child has left the maternity home? There have been many cases in which the home medical adviser has been unable to get such a child who is critically ill into hospital because the hospitals maintain that it is the responsibility of the maternity home until the child is six weeks old.
I am not aware of that. The Deputy will appreciate that the risk of infection is important. Apart from that, I am not aware that there is this difficulty. I will make further inquiries.