This is a huge leap forward for women's health and wellbeing in Ireland.

Following a recommendation from the Women’s Health Taskforce, established by the Department of Health in 2019 to improve the standard of women’s healthcare, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced the establishment of Ireland’s first specialist centre for menopause. The new centre, which is set to be established as soon as this year, will be located at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, but Donnelly has stated that he expects other such clinics will soon be established around the country. “One area that has received considerable attention this year, quite rightly, is menopause, and the lack of any specialist centres for menopause,” Donnelly stated at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Cavan last week. “It’s kind of extraordinary that it never been in place." He continued: “I’m delighted today to be able to announce that we are establishing the first specialised menopause clinic in the public health system.” “The clinic is going to be multidisciplinary. It’s going to have GPs, who are specialising in this area, and clinical nurse and midwife specialists, which is really, really important.  It’s one of many priorities Fianna Fáil has and the Government has for women’s health care.” Donnelly also said he would seek funding through the budget for the project, to give the issue “attention that it rightly deserves”. “I just want to acknowledge the ongoing work from the Women’s Health Taskforce,” he said. “They’ve been engaged in a radical listening exercise and the results coming in from that are very, very interesting and are really informing our women’s health plans as we go on. We’re also funding the development for the delivery of training of long-acting reversible contraception, for 45 GP trainees and 50 postgraduate GPs per year."

An investment in women's health

The Health Minister explained that many steps have already been taken over the past couple of years to improve women's healthcare in Ireland. “We’ve already funded a lot of other initiatives. We are expanding nine gynaecology clinics. We are establishing this year two fertility clinics at hubs in Nenagh and in Galway,” Donnelly said. “We funded an additional 24 lactation consultants and a specialist endometriosis service in Tallaght University Hospital.”