Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:3332. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for an appointment to access a sexual health clinic by hospital in tabular form. [41370/21]
View answerTuesday, 27 July 2021
Questions (3332)
Written answers
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented interruption to normal healthcare activity in 2020/2021, affecting the provision of all healthcare services, including public STI clinics.
Over the last year, public STI services have re-configured services, establishing online booking systems and providing virtual appointments, in order to support service provision in line with social distancing and infection prevention control requirements resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public STI clinics have prioritised those with symptoms and who require treatment, in order to treat active infections and minimise onward transmission. The GMHS website and other resources such as www.man2man.ie and www.sexualwellbeing.ie are regularly updated to reflect current service delivery and to signpost users to the HSE list of approved STI and PrEP services.
The HSE is continuing to progress a number of initiatives that aim to reduce the level of HIV and STIs nationally and improve access to services for those in need as follows:
- The promotion of safer sex messages to the public via a range of social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
- During the pandemic, the public has been advised about STI clinic restrictions and encouraged to consider safer sexual practices to reduce the risk of HIV and STI transmission.
- Guidance has been issued around sex and COVID-19 which advised the public to limit numbers of partners to reduce transmission of HIV/STIs as well as COVID-19 during the pandemic.
- Those who are symptomatic are advised to contact a clinic directly for an emergency appointment.
- Condoms are freely available to NGO partners and service providers via the National Condom Distribution (NCDS) service.
- A number of NGOs have established postal services to make condoms and lubricant accessible to service-users throughout the pandemic while venues were closed.
- Free rapid HIV testing is available in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick through community NGO partners HIV Ireland, Sexual Health Centre Cork, Sexual Health West and GOSHH. NGO partners have adapted their services and are currently providing free rapid HIV testing from their offices or alternative venues.
- STI/HIV testing is currently available through a HSE home STI testing pilot project in Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Cork and Kerry (funded by the Sláintecare Integration Fund).
With regard to the detailed information sought by the Deputy, as this relates to operational issues, this Parliamentary Question is a matter for the HSE.
However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.