Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2026
316. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Health if she will address the ongoing concerns regarding the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of endometriosis services for women in County Louth; the actions her Department is taking to improve diagnosis, specialist access and treatment capacity for women in Louth who are disproportionately affected by delays in women’s healthcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22509/26]
View answerOn 18 October 2025, I launched the National Framework for the management of Endometriosis. The Framework sets out for the first time in Ireland a defined clinical pathway for women with endometriosis, which spans primary to secondary care to specialist complex care in tertiary settings.
Central to the Model of Care is the principle of presumed diagnosis, proposing that a woman presenting with symptoms should be treated on the presumption that she has endometriosis.
This model acknowledges that women are the most reliable narrators of their own symptoms and pain and reduces delays in the management of symptoms as well as the overall impact of this disease.
Funding of over €5 million was invested in endometriosis services between 2021 and 2025.
Two supra-regional specialist centres, in Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), have been established for the management of complex endometriosis cases.
Regional Specialist Centres for moderate cases have been established in the Rotunda, the Coombe, and Limerick, with clinics under further development in Galway and the National Maternity Hospital. All endometriosis sites are operational and taking referrals.
As Louth is part of the HSE Dublin and North East Region, endometriosis referrals from regional gynaecology services in Louth would be directed to the Rotunda’s regional specialist centre in the first instance, and then onwards to Tallaght’s supra regional specialist centre for more complex cases if required.
In addition to the implementation of the Framework, I also mandated several actions to expedite access to care for women impacted by endometriosis. Significant progress has already been made:
• The HSE carried out over 140 additional surgeries in Q4 2025 for women waiting for surgery.
• An additional colorectal surgeon has been successfully recruited by the HSE in CUMH and is being actively recruited for TUH.
• The HSE Endometriosis Surgery Abroad Interim Scheme was opened on 18 October 2025.
• I have written to all GPs, consultants and other clinicians to raise awareness of endometriosis.
• A national campaign around menstrual health is in development, including endometriosis.
• An Endometriosis Advisory Group has been established, which includes patient advocates. This group held their first meeting on 30 October 2025 and is meeting on an ongoing basis.
• €2 million in funding has been provided for research into all aspects of women’s health, but particularly for projects on endometriosis.
• Two education officers have been engaged to deliver the comprehensive MISE (Menstrual Information Specialising in Endometriosis) programme which aims to educate people, particularly in schools, sports clubs and workplaces, on menstrual health, with a specific focus on endometriosis.
The HSE’s budget for 2026 will be €27.4 billion, an increase of 6.2% on 2025. This investment will enable expansion and improvement in our health services, including endometriosis services through the HSE National Services Plan (NSP). The HSE NSP for 2026 has prioritised the implementation of the National Framework for the management of Endometriosis.
Women affected by endometriosis may also be waiting on general gynaecology waiting lists. Waiting times have decreased significantly following the introduction of the multi-annual Waiting List Action Plan approach in September 2021. In February 2026, 77% of women were waiting less than six months for a gynaecology outpatient appointment in comparison to 55% in September 2021. This is despite overall general gynaecology referrals more than doubling from just over 50,000 in 2020 to almost 110,000 in 2025.
Louth’s outpatient gynaecology waiting list has also reduced by 27% since September 2021.
