There is a call for a specific plan to be put in place to deal with the 4,500 babies born prematurely in Ireland each year. There are currently 19 neonatal units in Ireland.
Premature birth is a birth that occurs at less than 37 weeks gestation. Babies born prematurely have higher rates of cerebral palsy, sensory deficits, learning disabilities and respiratory illnesses.
To mark World Prematurity Day, a new model for premature babies born in this country was presented at an event in Dublin.
New research has shown that having a pre-term baby has a major financial impact on families. The findings were presented at the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance (INHA) event.
43% of pre-term parents surveyed indicated that they have had their income reduced due to decreased working hours in order to care for their baby.
And almost 80% said that the additional hospital admissions, physician office visits and travel had also been a significant financial burden.
There are calls for a more cohesive approach to the management of pre-term babies - and to recognise the burden that is placed on families travelling long distances while their baby is being cared for.
Attendees at the meeting also heard updates on a new standard of care model for neonatology, which will ensure all babies born in Ireland will receive standardised and appropriate care.
Mandy Daly is director of advocacy at the INHA: "The research showed that 70% of families of pre-term infants wanted to receive more information about psychological and emotional support when their baby is in the hospital and also when they're being cared for post discharge."
"We want to ensure that parents' needs are heard and acknowledged and that they are confident and engaged with the care their child is receiving. We at the INHA feel that the new model of care is a wonderful opportunity to put families and their little heroes at the heart of everything," she added.
Professor John Murphy is a neonatologist at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin. He says things are running smoothly at the moment.
