Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House for this debate. We have already heard about medical gaslighting this afternoon. I suspect most, it not all, of the women in the Chamber can speak about experiences they have had when they have not been believed. Perhaps they have had really severe migraines and been told to try yoga or drink herbal tea. I once turned up in such severe pain to see a doctor that I was vomiting. I was given diazepam for stress. It turned out I had appendicitis. From what I have heard from colleagues today, this is a really common issue. It is so normal that women have this experience. The Minister said that women's symptoms are different. However, the answer has to be about what practitioners do about that, whether it is by means of gender-sensitive training or more research into how women's symptoms are different. We have heard about endometriosis already. So many women have their symptoms completely dismissed for up to eight years, leaving them in debilitating pain. That cannot be the way we do health.

Last week, I attended a presentation by Cared Ireland. I suspect some of those Members present also attended. I put on record my thanks to those who spoke and shared their harrowing experiences. Eating disorders disproportionately affect women. In 2022, a report from the HSE highlighted that most people seeking treatment were young women, particularly those in their teenage years and in their 20s. Disgracefully, as of April last year there were only three beds in Ireland. There were 20 promised in 2018, but no funding has been allocated for these additional beds. Women with eating disorders report their condition being dismissed by healthcare providers as stress related or as them being concerned about their physical appearance. It is not being treated as the mental condition it is.

Many women are expected to endure painful medical procedures with minimal pain relief. They are told to take paracetamol for highly traumatic gynaecological procedures, and they are not given appropriate anaesthetics.This should be routinely offered.

I also want to touch on some of the issues affecting women with intersecting identities. We have women of colour, Traveller women, Roma women, trans women, queer women, and refugee and migrant women and they have intersecting barriers to getting the proper healthcare they need, including structural barriers. We need to move beyond that and recognise the barriers within our systems that stop people from getting the healthcare they deserve. We need more investment in healthcare that prioritises the intersectional needs of diverse women.