The Coombe Hospital (/ˈkuːm/; Irish: Ospidéal an Chúim) is a voluntary teaching hospital providing a range of medical services to both women and newborn infants in Dublin, Ireland. It is managed by Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.[1]
The hospital was founded by Margaret Boyle in the vacated building of the Meath Hospital in the Coombe in Dublin's Liberties area in 1826.[2] It formally opened as the Coombe Lying-in Hospital (which remains its legal name) in 1829 and was granted a Royal Charter in 1867.[3]
The hospital moved to modern premises nearby in Dolphin's Barn in 1967.[3] Although the old hospital was demolished, the portico was retained as a monument to the many mothers who gave birth in the old hospital.[4] The new facility adopted the working name of the Coombe Women's Hospital in 1993 and it was renamed the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital in January 2008.[2]
The hospital was targeted in a ransomware attack on 15 December 2021 forcing its IT services to be shut down.[5]
The Coombe Hospital is one of the largest providers of women and infant health care in the Republic of Ireland. Over 8,000 mothers give birth in the hospital every year.[2] It provides clinical experience to three training colleges, including University College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Trinity College, Dublin.[6]