Almost 15% of births at University Hospital Waterford are private.
That's according to figures released by the South/South West Hospital Group to the Irish Examiner.
UHW has one of the lowest levels of private births.
24% of deliveries in University Maternity Hospital Limerick were private, while 17% of births at Cork University Maternity Hospital are private.
The paper is reporting that advocacy group AIMS is calling for an open debate on the implications of ending private maternity care in public and voluntary hospitals.
AIMS Ireland spokeswoman Krysia Lynch spoke to the Irish Examiner.
“I do welcome the phasing-out. However, I would like to see some other mechanism for the delivery of private obstetric care, in the same way that I would like to see a mechanism for the delivery of private midwifery care,” she told the paper.
Krysia compared Ireland to the UK by saying that women living there would only be seen by an obstetrician if you were experiencing complications with your pregnancy.
Last week, Cabinet approved a new contract for consultants that will see private care phased out of public hospitals in the next three years.
The Association for Improvement in Maternity Services says this will impact those giving birth and new models for maternity care need to be looked at.
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