Seán Crowe
Question:950. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health her plans to expand the list of accepted providers under the ESAIS to include centres in Greece and Romania. [3892/26]
View answerTuesday, 20 January 2026
Questions (950)
Written answers
The list of approved centres abroad for the Endometriosis Surgery Abroad Interim Scheme (ESAIS) has been developed by the HSE's National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP).
NWIHP has advised that patient safety and provision of high-quality care is a priority consideration. The selection process focused on identifying centres which meet international standards of clinical excellence.
The HSE has established a Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) that will include international expertise. One of the roles of the CAG is to assess clinics for possible inclusion to extend the list of approved centres under the Scheme.
The CAG has an agreed decision matrix to be used for assessing other centres for suitability to be added to the list of approved centres. This matrix aligns with international accreditation requirements such as those required for recognition by the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE) or the awarding of a Euro EndoCert by the European Endometriosis League (EELs), based in Germany.
Centres in Romania and Greece are being assessed under this process. A centre may be considered if it achieves the quality and safety requirements of BSGE or EELs even if it has not received formal international accreditation standards.