Women have been disproportionately hit by the effects of the Covid pandemic and are bearing the burden of homeschooling and caring, according to Dr Rhona Mahony.
When Dr Mahony’s term as master of the National Maternity Hospital ended in 2018, she was hailed as a leading voice for Irish women by colleagues.
She will now turn her attention to the elderly after being appointed to the board of HaloCare, a healthcare company that aims to helps older people to live safely and independently in their own homes.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Dr Mahony believes both women and the elderly have suffered a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic as she reflected on a difficult year on the frontline.
“Women have been disproportionately affected in terms of childcare and homeschooling as around 70pc of healthcare workers are female,” she said. “I work in maternity and we’ve been lucky in that we haven’t had a huge problem with Covid infections, so that’s been extraordinarily fortunate. We have only had 88 cases to date in Holles Street, the majority of which have been incidental.
“We have not seen a lot of very ill women as pregnant women are cocooning and the visual bump means people keep their distance a lot more, so it’s been remarkable how fortunate we have been in terms of a low-incidence rate.”
The pandemic has resulted in some women having to give birth alone. Partners were also not allowed to attend the 20-week anatomy scan for most of 2020 due to restrictions and high case numbers.
Holles Street is one of the few hospitals that did not stop Covid-19 positive women from having a designated person at their labour and birth.
While Dr Mahony said that while it was “heartbreaking” family couldn’t visit expectant mothers, perspective was important.
“When you put it into context and compare it to people who can’t see their relative who is dying, we do feel very fortunate in the maternity care area.
“I’m very conscious of people who have lost husbands, wives, mums and dads and haven’t been able to visit them. I think that for all of us, our lives have changed and there’s a fear of what will come, hence why I’ve become so interested in technology.”
HaloCare is an Irish start-up based in Co Carlow that uses a range of technologies to provide 24/7 support for older adults, their carers and family.
Dr Mahony said the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed the burden of isolation and how devastating it could be for elderly people.
“It’s not about providing acute care in a nursing home. It’s about living well, living as long as possible and living safely in your own home.
“Safety is one of the main components as we know for elderly people falling is a big issue, so HaloCare has developed really hi-tech sensors which allow us to sense the movement of a person, so you can tell if they stumble or fall.
“There are also motion detectors which can detect gas such as carbon monoxide and temperature. It’s not a case of Big Brother watching you as there are no cameras or videos. The technology uses radar and microwave technology to sense falls in a way that is really unobtrusive.
“In addition there are also social elements which will use digital technology to help people connect with their families.”
Dr Mahony also currently serves on the boards of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and the Little Museum of Dublin, while working as a consultant obstetrician at the National Maternity Hospital.
When asked for her thoughts on the vaccine roll-out across the country, she said there were always going to be “glitches” but she’s remaining positive about the future after a stressful year.
“I think it’s brilliant that vaccines are starting to arrive. It will help us get over this pandemic and I think it will allow us to live better. We can see in frontline workers already there has been a massive drop in infections. I think Covid will end up being an accelerator to better healthcare and delivering healthcare better in Ireland. One of the great things about digital technology is it does open up opportunities.
“It can take out unnecessary steps and make treatment about the patient themselves and not the system.”
Throughout her career, Dr Mahony has always advocated for women’s rights. She was outspoken in her support for repealing the Eighth Amendment in the lead-up to the referendum and has actively sought improved healthcare for women. She said the recent report by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission – which laid bare the horrific treatment of women who gave birth outside marriage – was difficult to fathom.
“It is heartbreaking what women went through. It is so awful to think of women having babies in a country that rejected them and who were incarcerated at such a vulnerable time.
“One of the worst elements was the lack of education about contraception and their bodies. That was State policy influenced by the church. It was used to disempower women and we must be very glad that times have changed.”
Source: Irish News
