Ms Catherine Donohoe:

The treatment abroad scheme is governed by legislation, rules and criteria that are set down by Europe. Under the criteria, the patient needs a referral letter and an application form that has been fully completed in conjunction with the referring consultant.

We recognised that women were experiencing difficulty and we developed a protocol so that they would get automatic approval. What that protocol allows for is that in situations where a case is complex, and outside the competencies of the specialist service in Dublin or Cork, the patient is referred either from Dublin to Cork or from Cork to Dublin for a second opinion, in the first instance. Once the patient has those two examinations, and they have their referral, then they are automatically approved by the treatment abroad scheme.