Declan Meagher

Dr. Declan J Meagher was an Irish obstetrician, Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, and a champion of women's reproductive health.[1]

Doctor

Declan J Meagher
Master of National Maternity Hospital
In office
1970–1976
Succeeded byDermot W MacDonald
Personal details
Born(1921-03-21)21 March 1921
Ferbane, County Offaly, Ireland
Died3 November 2019(2019-11-03) (aged 98)
Dublin, Ireland
Known for

In 1963, Meagher set up one of the country's first family planning clinics. This was a time when most women in Ireland lived in poverty, had a large number of children and suffered from high childbirth mortality rates.[2] The Irish Catholic Church, which was heavily involved in healthcare through the ownership of hospitals and schools, imposed conservative views on family planning and contraception. It had most recently prevented the Mother and Child Scheme to come into force.

Meagher, who by 1970, had become Master of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, one of the largest maternity hospitals in Europe, sought to reduce perinatal mortality by implementing a new approach to the management of childbirth. He did so by giving a greater role to midwives, providing additional support for mothers and reducing prolonged labour.[3][4] "The Dublin Experience" helped usher in the modern era of Irish obstetrics[5][6] and led to the development of a clinical package of care now internationally known as "active management of labour".[7][8][9][10]

After his career at the National Maternity Hospital, Meagher took over as Director General of the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, in the West Bank. There, with the Order of Malta and the European Union, he helped build Palestine's first maternity ward, introduced maternity training programs for local doctors and midwives, and set up rural maternity care clinics for Palestinian women.[11][12] Meagher also represented Ireland on the council of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London, which he used to share maternity care practices and build ties between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Meagher co-authored with Kieran O'Driscoll, The Active Management of Labour, which is used in medical school curricula in Europe, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and the United States.[13][14]

References
  1. Fitzgerald, Muiris; Murphy, John F (30 January 2020). "Declan J Meagher". British Medical Journal. 368.
  2. Shannon, June (16 October 2018). "Doctors remain central protagonists in State's reproductive health history". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  3. "Declan Meagher obituary: childbirth pioneer who championed Irish family planning". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  4. Salhan, Sudha (30 August 2016). Textbook of Obstetrics. JP Medical Ltd. ISBN 978-93-85891-79-3.
  5. J S, Scott (28 March 1981). "Dublin Deliveries". British Medical Journal. 282.
  6. Corcoran, Mary (1999). Irish Sociological Chronicles (PDF). Institute of Public Administration. pp. 247–259. ISBN 1902448693.
  7. O'Driscoll, K.; Meagher, D.; Boylan, P. (21 March 1996). "A Clinical Trial of Active Management of Labor". New England Journal of Medicine. 334 (12): 797–799. doi:10.1056/NEJM199603213341212. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 8592558.
  8. Neilson, J. P.; Lavender, T.; Quenby, S.; Wray, S. (1 December 2003). "Obstructed labour - Reducing maternal death and disability during pregnancy". British Medical Bulletin. 67 (1): 191–204. doi:10.1093/bmb/ldg018. ISSN 0007-1420. PMID 14711764.
  9. Myr, Rachel (18 August 2019). "Reason for Active Management". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "Active Management of Labour | AIMS". www.aims.org.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. "Wren Boys' party raises funds for Bethlehem hospital". independent. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  12. "Bethlehem's Hospital". Order of Malta. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  13. O'Driscoll, Kieran. (2003). Active management of labour : the Dublin experience. Meagher, Declan., Robson, Michael. (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Mosby. ISBN 978-0-7234-3202-9. OCLC 54966842.
  14. "Active Management of Labour - 4th Edition". www.elsevier.com. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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