Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We expect much of the Minister but we do not expect him to master the art of bilocation, and we thank him for his apology.

I welcome the publication of the women's health action plan. It is a positive step and I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss it. It is a good plan but, as the Minister knows well, it will succeed only if it is backed up with funding, commitment and dedication driven by him and his team in the Department. In 2018, when both the Minister and I were sitting on the Opposition benches, I launched a similar publication on behalf of Sinn Féin entitled A Vision for Women's Healthcare. I would like to think my work in the Oireachtas over recent years has highlighted my interest in, but also my passion for, women's health services and the provision of decent healthcare for women.

I have spoken often in this Chamber from the point of view of someone who uses the healthcare services and has been on the business end of some of the deficiencies, despite much great work being done by the men and women who deliver that care every day. It can at times be angering and frustrating to be a woman in this State and being the mother of a daughter can sometimes be equally so. So many injustices have been visited on women, and while I will not go through all of them, they relate to issues including symphysiotomy, thalidomide, CervicalCheck, transvaginal mesh implants and - I never speak about women's healthcare without mentioning this - Sheila Hodgers, who died too young along with her baby and whose anniversary took place recently. We have a long history of letting down women, but here is hoping this action plan represents the start of delivering on what is needed. The policy commits the Minister to listening. I am glad he has been doing that and I hope he will continue to do so because it is very important. The lived experience of women within our healthcare system is very telling, and if the Minister wants to know what needs to be done, they will tell him.

The health service is riddled with inequalities, especially for women. As someone who suffered with endometriosis in my 20s, I can say that while undiagnosed endometriosis is bad, having it misdiagnosed as something that may be just in the person's head is a billion times worse.

That dismissive attitude has to go.

I will say, in relation to this strategy, that Traveller women have a mortality rate five times that of the national rate. If the Minister's plan works and delivers, those Traveller women will see a real and appreciable difference in their life expectancy.

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