Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also compliment the Cathaoirleach and all the team here, including Martin Groves and Bridget Doody and everyone who put the event yesterday together. It was a very memorable day and there were fantastic contributions by all, especially by all the current Senators.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a very debilitating condition for women during pregnancy. It is essentially, for want of a better description, a much more severe form of morning sickness. It affects approximately 2% of women going through pregnancy. Kate Middleton is a very famous person who had it during her first pregnancy. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has followed through on a commitment he made when he was in Opposition to give the drug Cariban to women who suffer from this condition. This has been welcomed by people who have suffered from this condition and those who might do so in the future. There is one issue with the drug on which we need clarity from the Minister. As it is set out at the moment, the Minister has said that the prescription needs to be signed by a consultant rather than a GP. The obvious problem here is that the first time people who go through pregnancy meet a consultant is 12 weeks in, and after that it is at the 20-week scan. As this condition happens very early in pregnancy, this policy needs to be reviewed to see if a GP can give the prescription rather than a consultant. For many people who get this condition very early in their pregnancy, it is very debilitating. By the time they get to the 12-week scan, they are not able to work or have any sort of an active way of life. It is important that they do not have to wait for 12 weeks to be able to get a prescription for Cariban to make things more manageable during their pregnancy. I know the Minister is open to looking at this, but it would be appreciated if a decision could be made as quickly as possible to make sure GPs can sign off on these prescriptions.