200 Join Protest Against Nuns Owning New Maternity Hospital
Around 200 people have joined a protest against nuns owning the new National Maternity Hospital.
Holles Street Hospital is merging with St Vincent's to establish the new National Maternity Hospital which will be located next to St Vincent's hospital in Elm Park.
The Sisters of Charity who own Vincent's will take ownership of the new facility when it's built but the board of Holles Street will run it. The Minister for Health insists that medics working in the new facility will be independent.
However the move has angered survivors of the Magdalene Laundries because the Sisters of Charity still owe €3 million to a compensation scheme for victims. A petition protesting the hospital arrangement so far has over 30,000 signatures.
The petition was started on the online platform Uplift and spokesperson is Emily Duffy: "This is about justice and this is about healing for victims and survivors who were in Sisters of Charity-run institutions. It's very difficult to achieve that healing and ease that pain when they see the state is still providing (the nuns) with a platform."
In a statement this evening the Health Minister said the nuns will not be running the hospital.
Simon Harris insisted it will be independent with no religious interference and he said no religious order will financially gain from it.
''Let me very clear: there will be no financial gain to any religious order from the development of this hospital. Legal arrangements will be put in place which will 100% protect the State’s investment and interest in the new hospital.
I have heard people say that nuns will be running the hospital. Not true. I have heard that nuns have been gifted the hospital. Not true.''