Yesterday on the radio, Fine Gael Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll McNeill decried the fuel protests as "unlawful" and “unhelpful”, while discussing the difficulties pregnant women will face trying to get to the Rotunda hospital due to O'Connell street being blockaded.
Dublin City Councillor Hazel De Nortúin responded: "Fine Gael claim to care about women, but Ireland women’s healthcare is in constant crisis. Ireland consistently comes in as the worst country in Europe for hospital waiting lists and medical appointments. Treatment options for marginalised conditions facing women such as PMDD are completely inadequate.
"Premenstrual Dsyphoric Disorder (PMDD) affects 3-8% of women as we heard at a recent party public meeting we held. 82% of women with PMDD experience suicidal thoughts. 1 in 3 women diagnosed with PMDD have attempted suicide and it is estimated that 1 in 2 have self harmed. There are currently no specialist services for women with PMDD, education of health professionals on the condition is extremely poor - leading to very low rates of detection and difficult experiences with treatment for many women.
"Another women’s health condition that is marginalised is endometriosis, which affects up to 10% of women: the extent of this was very clear from a public meeting we held last week with our Dublin Central by-election candidate Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin. Those suffering often end up having to leave the country to receive adequate healthcare. Many women who need to access abortion after 12 weeks are also forced to leave the country, despite the fact that we repealed the 8th amendment almost a decade ago.
"While the HSE have adopted a framework for the treatment of endometriosis, pledging several regional centres for care of women suffering with the condition, there are still long delays for women seeking diagnosis and treatment. Women left waiting often need more intensive surgical interventions because of the progression of the condition with time. Although there is a scheme to support surgical treatment abroad, two of the major specialist centres for care in Greece and Romania are not included in the scheme."
The legacy of McNeill’s party in government includes the cervical smear scandal, in which 206 women had developed cervical cancer after having a misdiagnosed CervicalCheck smear test. So why is it that the government is suddenly claiming to care about women’s healthcare?