Calls are being made for an investigation into payments described as “gifts” of €1,500 linked to maternity care arrangements at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital. According to reporting, the payments are made by some Rotunda consultants to public doctors to deliver babies associated with private patients. The issue is framed in the context of weekend rostering practices, where doctors who are available to private patients during the week may not be on duty over weekends. In such cases, the care for private births is said to be provided by doctors who work under public-only arrangements. The payments are described as being made to facilitate that coverage. Critics argue that the arrangements raise questions about fairness, transparency and potential conflicts of interest in how private maternity care is delivered within a public hospital setting. The reports note that the alleged payments are being scrutinised and that an inquiry is being sought to clarify the circumstances, governance and rules governing such payments.