Increased birth rates are putting pressure on maternity services at Mullingar Hospital, according to new statistics released by the HSE.
Figures for 2008 reveal that the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar delivered 358 more babies than in the previous year.
According to the HSE, Mullingar was one of a number of hospitals which reported a particularly large increase in its birth rate.
At the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, births also increased significantly over the year, by 467.
Cork University Maternity Hospital delivered 760 more babies than in 2007, while Dublin’s Holles Street Hospital saw an increase of 452 in birth rates and The Coombe an increase of 432.
Nationwide, the latest HSE statistics show that in 2008 there were 73,815 births in Ireland; an increase of 5 per cent on 2007 figures.
The figures also show that the highest birth rate increases were in the south-east, which had a 9 per cent rise; the south with an increase of 8 per cent; and the west with a 6 per cent rise.
The HSE said the rising birth rates are placing significant pressures on maternity and personal social services.
