Dr. Noel Browne, Minister for Health attempted to introduce a new health scheme that would allow mothers and their children free health care up until the age of 16 in 1950. Dr. Browne argued that this scheme was well overdue and would end the wasted lives and unnecessary deaths of young children throughout Ireland.

During this year over 26,000 thousand infants died and looking back, you might ask why anyone was apposed to giving free health care to mothers and their children. At the time Taoiseach John A Costello was Taoiseach of Ireland and President Seán T O'Kelly was the sitting in Áras an Uachtaráin.

Elected to the Dáil in 1948, Dr. Browne was immediately appointed Minister of Health, he embarked on a tuberculosis (TB) eradication campaign and then attempted to introduce his mother and baby scheme.

This new scheme received major opposition from politicians across the Dáil Chamber as well as Cabinet but mainly from the medical profession and the Catholic Church. The medics were opposed as this could severely impact their income as free healthcare would increase pressure on their clinics while the Bishops branded this scheme as 'anti-family'.

Meanwhile Dr. Browne continued with his scheme unaware that Taoiseach Costello was under increased pressure from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Internal political tensions were beginning to emerge, the Cabinet were not in full agreement on the terms of this proposed scheme with the underlying issue of the length of free healthcare offered.

The following year in April 1951 Dr. Browne resigned as Minister for Health as his scheme failed to get introduced, soon after the 1948-51 inter-party government collapsed. In his book 'Against the Tide' published by Gill & Macmillan, he recalls and his account of events and conversations with fellow Cabinet colleagues but also a meeting with the Bishop of Galway, Bishop Michael Browne. 

In 1953, an altered version of the original Mother and Child Scheme was passed into legislation under the 1953 Health Act. It allowed for the provision of free maternity services, it was limited to maternity-related illnesses and was only available during pregnancy and for six weeks following birth.

Dr. Browne died in 1997 and was laid to rest in Connemara, County Galway.

Produced by Betty Purcell

First broadcast 11th October 1980

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