Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

It is a real sign of the backwardness of the health service in this country that we have not had this up to now. It is not something to be boasting about.

Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have universal foetal anomaly screening and many pregnant women were not able to avail of that last year. If a woman has concerns about genetic defects, she has to pay for the tests. The nuchal translucency scan costs €250 while non-invasive prenatal testing costs €450. This is really backward.

I too look forward to the Sláintecare debate tomorrow. The sooner we get this for-profit, two-tier operation out of our health service and maternity services, the better.

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