Written answers

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Department of Health

Medical Aids and Appliances

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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872. To ask the Minister for Health the steps and engagement that is being taken to support and assist people mainly women impacted by the mesh implant scandal; stage her Department and the HSE is at with rectifying these serious flaws in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32463/25]

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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919. To ask the Minister for Health her views on whether women who have suffered from mesh injuries should be automatically entitled to a medical card. [32727/25]

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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920. To ask the Minister for Health her views on whether women who have suffered from mesh injuries should be entitled to compensation for necessary travel to mesh centres established under the mesh pathways. [32728/25]

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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921. To ask the Minister for Health if she agrees that there should be a redress scheme for women who have suffered from mesh injuries. [32729/25]

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 872, 919, 920 and 921 together.

I understand that complications from a mesh implant are very distressing and painful for those women involved and since the emergence of this matter, the ongoing priority focus for the Department of Health has been to ensure that all women experiencing mesh related complications receive high quality, multidisciplinary and patient-centred care.

Multidisciplinary specialist services for women suffering from mesh complications are available via the HSE National Mesh Complications Service, based at Cork University Hospital (CUMH) and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) Dublin. Both services offer full mesh removal.

The HSE have advised me that women with certain defined clinical complexities can apply to the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). The TAS is a consultant-led scheme that allows an Irish-based public consultant to refer a public patient normally resident in Ireland for treatment in the public healthcare system of another EU member state, the UK or Switzerland. The scheme provides for the cost of approved public treatment.

Officials in my Department have regularly engaged with two stakeholder groups, Mesh Ireland and Mesh Survivors Ireland, to understand the experiences and challenges some women have in accessing supports and services for mesh complications.

Officials are in the process of exploring further options for additional aftercare supports for women who have suffered complications related to mesh surgery.

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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873. To ask the Minister for Health the number of women identified under the Chief Medical Officers Report November 2018 on the Use of Uro-Gynaecological Mesh in Surgical Procedures; the total number of women impacted by same; the number that were selected for recall; the number for assessment; the number of women that received subsequent surgery; the number that needed to avail of the treatment abroad scheme; the number still outstanding for surgery and those that still have not had any assessment undertaken, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32464/25]

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

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