Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
872. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked 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]
View answer919. Deputy Paul Murphy asked 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]
View answer920. Deputy Paul Murphy asked 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]
View answer921. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if she agrees that there should be a redress scheme for women who have suffered from mesh injuries. [32729/25]
View answerI 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.
