The Master of Ireland's largest maternity hospital has said he has raised serious concerns over patient safety.
Dr Chris Fitzpatrick of The Coombe Women's Hospital says the concerns are raised as a result of the continuing increase in birth rates in Ireland.
The hospital had one of its busiest years to date in 2006 according to its annual report.
Dr Fitzpatrick says there are concerns about patient safety at all three maternity hospitals in the Dublin area.
He cites inadequate staffing and serious infrastructural deficiencies as two of the main reasons for his concerns.
Reacting to the comments, the Labour Party spokesperson on Health, Jan O'Sullivan, said if staff shortages are contributing to safety issues in maternity hospitals then it is essential that the HSE embargo on recruitment of new staff be reviewed with immediate effect.
Last year, 8,084 babies were delivered at The Coombe. 141 sets of twins were delivered, three sets of triplets and one set of quads.
In terms of babies delivered, this makes the Coombe the largest provider of women's and infant healthcare in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe.
The Coombe was the only hospital in Ireland last year to record a decrease in Caesarean sections, down 22%, the lowest number in three years.
