John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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663. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on developments and progress in women’s health and, specifically, the women’s health action plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53531/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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A second Women’s Health Action Plan for 2024-2025 was published in April 2024. This continues to embed the initiatives of the first plan, the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022-23, while also introducing new areas of focus.

Significant progress and investment have been made in Women’s Health since the publication of the Women’s Health Action Plan. Underscoring the Government’s commitment to Women’s Health has been the investment of dedicated additional funding of over €180 million since 2020.

This significant investment in recent years is aligned to the Government’s continued strong commitment in the Programme for Government to ”further developing the transformation in women’s healthcare”.

Progress/Achievements since 2020:

Developments from the additional €180 million investment include:

• The establishment of 9 Postnatal Hubs giving women access to postnatal care in community setting. Additional funding of €2 million in 2025 will initiate four further Hubs, bringing the national network to 13.
• A total of €28 million in new development funding has been invested to the National Maternity Strategy transforming our maternity services for women and babies. Through this funding, over 550 additional full-time staff have been funded across maternity services, including 44 consultants and 381 nurses and midwives.
• The Free Contraception Scheme launched 2022, has been expanded and now includes women aged 17-35.
• Additional ‘See-and-Treat’ Ambulatory Gynaecology Clinics have been opened bringing the total to 18 clinics, with three more in development.
• From July 2024, over €830,000 has been provided by the Women’s Health Action Plan in funding to drug services for women with complex needs. This is part of an initiative to reduce drug-related harms and premature deaths among this cohort.
• There are 2 supra-regional Specialists Endometriosis Centres supported by 5 regional specialist centres.
• 6 Specialist Menopause Clinics are operational.
• A government Menopause campaign was launched in October 2022. The campaign was a direct response to the demand from Irish women for greater knowledge and understanding of menopause as well as better access to accurate information and supports so that they can proactively manage their experience.
• From the 1st of June 2025, free HRT has been provided to women experiencing menopause. Free HRT is available where it has prescribed to a woman by her healthcare provider for the purpose of alleviating the symptoms associated with all stages of Menopause.
• 6 Regional Fertility Hubs are now in operation in public maternity hospitals.
• The first public National Assisted Human Reproduction Centre to provide publicly funded, publicly delivered treatment is scheduled to open on a partial basis later in 2025.
• Referrals for publicly funded, privately provided assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatment commenced in September 2023. This initiative has proven to very successful, with 3,047 couples having been referred up to the end of September 2025 by a Reproductive Specialist Consultant for AHR treatment. This follows extensive investigations and/or secondary level treatment within one of the six HSE-run Regional Fertility Hubs located across the country.
• From 30th June 2025, an important criterion for accessing state-funded AHR treatment has been broadened. Couples with one existing child in their relationship, and who meet all the other current access criteria, can now access publicly funded AHR treatment, including one full cycle of IVF or ICSI.
• A new National Perinatal Genomics Service is being established to ensure women have access to critical testing both during pregnancy, and in planning for future pregnancies.
• All 19 maternity hospitals are providing full Termination of Pregnancy services.
• Legislation providing for Safe Access Zones has been enacted and came into operation in October 2024.
• A target date for the elimination of Cervical Cancer date (2040) was announced in November 2023 and in March 2025, funding of €530,000 for cervical cancer elimination was allocated from the Women’s Health Fund. The Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan 2025-2030 sets out the next steps, which include an emphasis on increasing vaccination and screening rates in underserved communities.
• A National Cervical Screening Laboratory was opened in December 2022.
• Period Dignity initiatives have been supported annually since 2022, in line with the Women’s Health Action Plans. These measures are aimed at people living with consistent poverty, homelessness and addiction and at minority groups including Travellers and Roma. Period dignity supports are provided through the HSE Health Regions, Local Authorities, Family Resource Centres and other community partners
• In March 2025 the Minister for Health launched funding for three applied University College Dublin Projects on Women’s Heart Health aimed at improving cardiovascular health in women. These initiatives focus on, postpartum cardiovascular risk assessment, addressing social determinants of health in heart failure (HF) and enhancing early cardiovascular diagnostic strategies for women.
• 6 Mental Health Multidisciplinary Teams have been put in place for pregnant women and women with a baby up to one year old who may have an existing or new mental health problem. In addition, Perinatal Mental Health Midwife posts are now in place across 13 sites.
• There are now 12 multidisciplinary Eating Disorder Teams in place across the country, with 2 more coming on stream in 2025.
• We have established a National Venous Thromboembolism Programme which focuses on pregnant women and women experiencing menopause.
• The provision of scalp cooling for cancer patients to help prevent hair loss due to chemotherapy.
• The Women’s Health Fund was established in Budget 2021 and has supported a range of priority services for Women’s Health. Over 100 initiatives have been supported to date through this fund.