The Board of St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group have said they remain "totally supportive" of the location of the National Maternity Hospital at the St Vincent's site.

In a statement this evening, the Board said the proposed relocation was reviewed at a meeting today, in which it reconfirmed its committment to the move.

"The Board remains totally supportive of the proposed relocation of the NMH to SVHG under the terms of the agreement mediated by Kieran Mulvey," the statement reads. "A new maternity hospital is urgently needed.

The Board said locating the maternity hospital alongside St. Vincent’s "will provide synergies for both hospitals that will lead to the delivery of modern, world class medical, maternity and neonatal services". 

"The relocation of the NMH, with its strong heritage of excellent care, will add enormously to the rich history and tradition of excellence of both hospitals," the statement concluded.

Boylan resignation

Earlier today, Health Minister Simon Harris says he "respects" the decision of Dr Peter Boylan to resign from the board of the National Maternity Hospital.

The former Master resigned earlier from the Executive Committee of the hospital, confirming to the Pat Kenny Show this will take place with immediate effect.

In a statement obtained by Newstalk, Dr Boylan said: "I can no longer remain a member of a board which is so blind to the consequences of its decision to transfer sole ownership of the hospital to the Religious Sisters of Charity, and so deaf to the disquiet of the public it serves".

"Hospitals on land owned by the Catholic Church are obliged to follow Catholic teaching and Canon Law on medical practices and procedures.

"The proposed hospital will be built on land owned by the Religious Sisters of Charity, the hospital will be owned outright by the Religious Sisters of Charity, and the company tasked with running the hospital will be owned outright by the Religious Sisters of Charity.

"To believe the new National Maternity Hospital will be the only hospital in the world owned by a Catholic congregation to permit serialisation, IVF, abortion, gender reassignment surgery and any other procedures prohibited by the Church is naive and delusional".

The board of Holles Street voted to press ahead with building the new National Maternity Hospital at the St Vincent's campus in Dublin on Wednesday night.