The Sisters Of Charity Will 'End Involvement' At National Maternity Hospital

The Sisters Of Charity Will 'End Involvement' In National Maternity Hospital

In breaking and frankly unexpected news this morning the Sisters of Charity religious group have announced that they are to end all involvement in St Vincent's hospital including the future National Maternity Hospital. A new company with charitable status called St. Vincent's is to be formed, and it will take over as prime shareholders at the St Vincent's Healthcare Group.

This comes after weeks of protest on the back of a very public row between members of the board, over the direction and management of the future National Maternity Hospital at St Vincent's. Numerous public protests and marches followed as the general public were mobilized to oppose any such involvement by a religious organisation in the future of a state funded maternity hospital. Over 100,000 people signed this petition in the wake of the story coming to light.

A statement was made today by Sr Mary Christian who is the Congregational Leader of the religious group, which said,

"The Religious Sisters of Charity will end our involvement in St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and will not be involved in the ownership or management of the new National Maternity Hospital".

This will mean that the current requirement of the Healthcare group to run the hospitals in accordance with the 'Catholic code' will be changed, and the hospital will finally practice guidelines reflecting medical ethics and the laws of the Republic of Ireland.

The Religious Sisters of Charity will also no longer be able to appoint their own directors to the board and the current two Sister directors will resign immediately.

Irish people have been actively reacting to the news on Twitter:

#NMH Now sisters of charity out of the "caring" business, it's time to tell church to stay out of education business! pic.twitter.com/arxTfulYOF

— Grim Reaper (@Knightsatire) May 29, 2017

Sisters of Charity to end involvement with new National #Maternityhospital. We need to keep campagning to separate church and state.

— People Before Profit (@pb4p) May 29, 2017

#PeoplePower wins again! Well done to everyone who fought the gift of €300million to the Sisters of Charity. We forced this U turn, not govt

— Caroline O'Connell (@Gruaig_Rua) May 29, 2017

The Sisters of Charity relinquishing some presence in Vincent's hospital is great if initial news proves correct.

— Patrick Bateman (@DoctorComfortv) May 29, 2017

Sisters of Charity news looks great but is there a little caveat in the statement, i.e., "to foster Mary Aikenhead's core values"

— Dave Cal (@davecalproject) May 29, 2017

At last, Sisters of Charity get their rosaries off our ovaries https://t.co/4zbM6vpnox

— Celine Naughton (@NaughtonCeline) May 29, 2017

In a separate statement, the chairperson of St Vincent's Hospital Group (SVHG), James Menton, said that the staff is committed to upholding the vision and values of the hospital's founder Mary Aikenhead.