Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)

I am here today to talk about women's well-being and sexual health well-being. I am looking for a clinic for County Meath. County Meath has a growing population of about 240,000 people, and we can take it that 120,000 of them are women. Would the Minister of State believe that Meath has only half the number of GPs recommended by the World Health Organization for a county of its size? The county has the lowest number of GPs per head of population in the country at 54 doctors per 100,000 according to recent figures from the Irish College of General Practitioners. The WHO recommends 100 GPs per 100,000. If trying to get a GP appointment within two weeks, a person would be very lucky to find one. Consider a new patient who is trying to register in a GP practice in County Meath. There is very little chance. It is nearly impossible. Imagine being a young woman, concerned perhaps about family planning, about her sexual health, or maybe she has had a pregnancy scare and wants somewhere to go. She may do a little search on her phone and find there are no women's sexual health well-being clinics in County Meath. Not only that, it will take at least two weeks to be able to see a doctor. She might be a little bit embarrassed to go in to her regular GP.

I am speaking about a clinic that offers services in respect of sexual health, contraception, fertility, counselling, a woman's cycle and period problems, menopause, smear tests and urinary stress incontinence. There is a great website, sexualwellbeing.ie, that can guide a person in all aspects of sexual health and unplanned pregnancies but to go to a clinic, one must travel to Dublin or Drogheda. Surely towns such as Navan, Trim or Kells would be far more suitable locations for the people of Meath. We have a super hospital in Navan and a new primary care centre is opening. Perhaps they would be good locations.

It is worrying to think that in 2023, sexually transmitted infections in Ireland saw a notable increase with notification rates rising to 31% compared to 2022. I welcome that we have free at-home STI testing kits but, as we know, many young people are living at home well into their 30s with their parents and I doubt they would want a package like that arriving on their doorstep. They deserve privacy and discretion, which only a well-being clinic can offer. I also welcome that hopefully, we will launch the sexual health strategy soon after the previous one expired in 2020. It was a 2015 to 2020 strategy and although I am delighted we are launching a new one I wonder why it has taken so long at five years.

Given how freely we can all talk about the big "M" word that is menopause, with conversations around menopause happening in cafés, restaurants and even in the office, such is the normality of talking about this now because it is no longer taboo, imagine removing the stigma around sexual health by it being more accessible and a service that can be obtained every day. Yesterday I attended a talk in the AV room on urinary stress incontinence, which is also part of sexual health for women. I listened to three women speak on how this has impacted severely and hugely on their mental health. Some of them have had to travel abroad to access the right service for them. That, however is another day's Commencement matter, one that I would definitely bring in for another day's work given its huge importance to women.

Today I am calling for access to a well-being clinic in Meath. I love the saying that sometimes the bravest and most important thing one can do is show up. In fairness to the Minister of State, he has shown up here today to discuss this topic. I have shown up here today as a female Senator to discuss this. Now let the women of Meath be allowed to show up at a clinic that is open and ready for them, ready to help their health, their mental health, their sexual health, and to allow them to continue to thrive.