Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
88. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the status of the women’s health task force that was established over a year ago; the actions taken or achieved in the intervening period; the plans in the area of women’s health over the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33543/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe women's health task force was established in September last year. What actions has it taken and will it take over the next three years?
I was delighted to see this question come in. I share the Deputy's view that this is a priority. Progressing women’s health is a priority for me and for this Government. We made a strong commitment to promoting women’s health in the programme for Government. I am pleased that budget 2021 provides a very significant investment to deliver on this commitment, something I have been pushing very hard for.
I have allocated funding of €12 million to ensure a renewed impetus in the implementation of the national maternity strategy and the new model of maternity care and to improve gynaecology services as well. I have allocated funding of €10 million to strengthen screening services including BreastCheck and CervicalCheck. Building on the work of the women's health task force, I have allocated an additional €5 million to improve outcomes.
Women have specific physical, mental and social health needs and experience poorer health outcomes relating to certain conditions including some chronic diseases, cancers and mental health conditions. Women’s health outcomes and experiences are also affected by their roles in the family and society and their wider circumstances. For example, more than 60% of unpaid carers are women which means they often access services on behalf of others.
The women's health task force was established in September 2019 to improve both health outcomes and experiences of healthcare for women and girls. It builds on recent progress in women’s health, including the implementation of the national maternity strategy, the implementation of the sexual health strategy, the establishment of a national mesh specialist centre, improvements in screening services, improvements in sexual assault services, the introduction of termination of pregnancy services, the roll-out of the maternal and newborn clinical management system and the development of new models of care for ambulatory gynaecology and infertility.
The women's health task force is very welcome because in the past healthcare has been very patriarchal. It has let down women many times and women's healthcare in Ireland must be addressed. It is ironic that the task force was established because it was recommended in the scoping inquiry on the cervical screening programme after women had been completely let down. That should be remembered in the tribunal that will take place soon.
What areas will be developed around gynaecological health? Will it address endometriosis, something that one in ten women suffer from? It can take up to nine years for a diagnosis.
It is not lost on me that two men are discussing the future of women's healthcare. It must be pushed and funded. I might be wrong, but I do not believe that if men had babies that Holles Street, the Coombe or the Rotunda or other maternity services around the country would have the same level of investment as they have now. They would be state-of-the-art, brand new, custom-built, beautiful buildings. They are not and that is not good enough. It is not good enough that when we discuss crisis after crisis here on women's health and women's reproductive health - be it mother and baby homes, CervicalCheck or symphysiotomy - it is always the same.
There is a lot of new funding in place. The Deputy asked what exactly the task force has been doing and what it intends to do. I will provide the Deputy with the rest of the written answer as I am out of time but there is a lot of really good work going on. The task force has done a huge amount of work and hopefully some exciting things will come through in the next year.
One of the task force's mantras is that it will do radical listening on women's health. That is welcome. Women should be at the heart of women's health and they should be listened to, where not doing so was a problem in the past.
Covid-19 has had a huge effect on everyone, regardless of gender, but I raise its impact on women's mental health. Covid has done a huge amount of social, physical and mental damage. How will the task force address that?
The task force is focused on women's health and building capacity in the system for women's health, including mental health, but is not working specifically in response to Covid, for which the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is leading a lot of initiatives. There was funding in parallel with the winter plan and a wellness initiative was launched last week. There has been a huge increase in calls and in texts to the support lines. We do not have very up-to-date data, but the figures we have for suicide and self-harm have not gone up. That may change in more recent data. The numbers asking for help have increased across the country. The task force is engaged with over 1,000 people and organisations representing women and girls across the country. It did the listening exercise and I might share some of its findings in writing with the Deputy.
