PRIVATE CONSULTANTS AT the Rotunda Hospital have been giving their public maternity care colleagues “gifts” for caring for their patients who give birth on weekends, the hospital has confirmed. 

The existence of the arrangement, which the Rotunda said has been “”longstanding”, was reported by the Irish Independent. 

“This is a long-standing arrangement which is aimed at ensuring consultants are available at the weekend for deliveries,” a spokesperson for the hospital said.

“However, this arrangement is personal to the consultants, and the hospital is not involved,” they added.

The Independent reported today that these “gifts” can amount to as much as €1,500.

The maternity hospital has been at the centre of a controversy about private consultants providing care there, which the government said was a breach of contract.

The Rotunda eventually conceded on Monday and said the practice would no longer continue. 

Responding to today’s revelation, Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice has called for Rotunda Hospital representatives to return to the Oireachtas Health Committee to answer questions about the situation.

“If consultants on the public-only contracts are working at the weekend, and are involved in the delivery of the babies of private patients, they are routinely gifted with sums of up to €1,500 by consultants contracted to do that private work,” Rice said.

“As far as we know, this is a practice that is confined to the Rotunda and doesn’t happen at Dublin’s other maternity hospitals because of the way rosters are managed,” he said.

“Not only does this raise questions for Revenue about the taxation of these gifts, it also raises further serious questions for the master of the hospital, Seán Daly, and the Board.”

Rice also said the statement from the hospital showed it was “clearly trying to wash their hands of any involvement”.