NEWBORN BABIES ARE always faced with a variety of camera lenses in their faces after their birth, but one baby born this week had her own paparazzi-style welcome to the world.

Leona Lambe was born on Friday at Mount Carmel Private Hospital, being the last baby born there due to the fact it has gone into liquidation.

As the last baby born there, she got this reception when she made an appearance with her parents Martina and Thomas:

Staff at Mount Carmel were informed last week that about 200 of them were to finish by the end of Thursday 30 January, with the remainder – over 100 staff-  to work for another week or two.

Elective patients were also discharged last Thursday, while deliveries were rescheduled and some patients directed to the Coombe hospital.

In total, 572 maternity patients were affected by the liquidation.

Union SIPTU, which represents a large amount of the staff, has called for the liquidators to retain the hospital as a going concern.

It has also asked the Department of Social Protection to fast-track Mount Carmel workers’ benefits because it is “unclear” when they will receive the redundancy payments owed to them.

Last Friday, 10 workers staged a sit-in in protest against the closure of the hospital. A rally in support of Mount Carmel staff was held the next day.

The staff described the protest as “just the start of the campaign”.

Despite all the action around her, Leona Lambe was blissfully unaware of the significance of her birth at Mount Carmel.

Martina and Thomas Lambe with baby Leona. Pics: Sasko Lazarov

Read: ‘A hospital is not just bricks and mortar’ – staff determined to save Mount Carmel>

Read: Mount Carmel workers ‘staging sit-in’ over hospital closure>