Dr. Mary Favier:

One of the most significant things that would give reassurance to the women of Ireland - our patients - would be a commitment, be it in legislation or in regulation, that there will be a timeline attached to when they can expect to receive a service. For instance, in Portugal, where they do not have any mandatory waiting period, it is written into their regulations that they must receive a service within five days. In Holland, where they do have a mandatory waiting time, that waiting time starts from the moment the women picks up the phone. It would give great reassurance to us as potential providers to know that the Department has our back and that there will be provision within a certain timeframe. It is not for us to suggest what that timeframe would be but this is a particularly timebound issue, unique in medicine. As the Senator said, the clock starts to tick for women, but unfortunately it is going to start to tick for providers, too. We are going to be faced with the additional burden and responsibility of how to shepherd women through these clinical care pathways. Who is responsible for them if the pathways fail? That question is exercising general practitioners and obstetricians as well as nurses and family planning clinics.