National Maternity scandal

Dear Editor,

If, as the Board of Saint Vincent’s hospital has said, that it wants to retain ownership of the land on which the €800+ million National Maternity Hospital is to be located ‘for governance and operational reasons’, the necessary implication is that the Board of St Vincent’s wants to control the running of the NMH. So much for so called clinical independence.

A 99 or 150 year lease of the land means that St Vincent’s would own the NMH after that time and makes no sense irrespective of the likely need to refurbish after that time. We the people need to own the land on which our NMH is located. If the land cannot be purchased, it should be CPO’d or the NMH located at Tallaght hospital site or elsewhere.

Kevin T Finn, Kingston Close, Mitchelstown, Co Cork.