411 women waiting over six months, 113 more than a year
Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster has called on the government to do something about the backlog in public gynaecology appointments.
She says that there are over 30,000 women on the waiting list nationally, including 1,246 women on the waiting list in Our Lady of Lourdes’ Hospital, Drogheda.
“The numbers released by the Minister for Health are very concerning. Of the 1,246 who are awaiting an appointment at Our Lady of Lourdes, 411 have been waiting over six months and 113 women have been waiting for longer than a year.
“The national picture is even worse, with 14,571 (48.2%) of women on the list waiting for longer than 6 months and 8,223 (27.25%) waiting for longer than a year.
“The Minister for Health said last year that he is ‘absolutely committed to the provision of safe and high-quality maternity and gynaecology care for the women of Ireland’, but these figures tell a different story.
“At a time when we have the breast check backlog, the cervical smear test backlog and recruitment concerns, women need assurance that their health needs will be met.
“Many of these delays were caused by the curtailment of services due to Covid. This is understandably unavoidable to a certain extent, but we are a year into the pandemic and the Minister must ensure that women’s health needs get back on track, and that resources are increased to ensure that these backlogs can be cleared.
“Behind every number on the list is a woman who is waiting for medical attention.
“A year waiting for a gynaecological appointment could be a year of living with an undetected problem as well as a year of serious anxiety for many.
“It is International Women’s Day on the 8th March, which is a time where we rightly celebrate the women in our lives and the achievements of women in this country. If we are serious about celebrating women we need to address the serious ongoing shortfalls in women’s healthcare.
“I am urging Minister Donnelly to take urgent steps now to give the HSE the resources, investment and support required to ensure this backlog is cleared and women can receive medical treatment in a timely manner.”
