Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will not rehearse what Senator Seery Kearney said, but I echo both every single word and the passion with which she spoke. I have been raising this matter since April 2021. In other words, for almost two years. It seems that either no one is listening or that people are moving to some degree but are doing so while kicking and screaming. We are getting to the point where Hyperemesis Ireland is incredibly frustrated. Individuals such as Sabrina Hill have to go on Instagram and talk bravely about their experiences of going through this debilitating condition. It seems as though no one in a position of power cares. We talk about how healthcare, particularly maternity care, for women is free. It is not free for all women. It is not free for women who go through this condition, and that is not fair. They look at countries such as Spain, where Cariban is incredibly cheap to buy, or the UK, where it is free to get. Cariban is neither cheap nor free in Ireland. The most frustrating thing is that a consultant has to sign off on it. I know about this as a result of my wife's experience. We had a baby just before Christmas. If you go through the public system, as we did, you do not see a consultant until well into the second trimester. As as result, people who cannot afford this drug cannot see a consultant early in their pregnancy would have to pay for the drug themselves for the first 12 to 14 weeks. The cost is extraordinary. What is it with the Department of Health that it seems to be putting obstacles in the way of women right across the country in the context of their receiving the right and proper healthcare they deserve when they go through pregnancy?