A new national endometriosis framework has been launched by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, marking a significant step toward improving care and treatment options for thousands of women living with the condition in Ireland.
Endometriosis is a chronic and painful disease where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus, often affecting the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other organs. Campaign groups estimate that approximately 300,000 women in Ireland live with the condition, with around 30,000 considered complex cases.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Carroll MacNeill said the framework aims to create a clearly defined clinical care pathway and introduce a “presumptive diagnosis” approach. This shift, she said, would enable women to be diagnosed and treated more quickly, reducing years of uncertainty and suffering that many patients currently face.
“This framework represents an important first step toward building the resources and capacity needed within our health system,” the Minister said. “From October 1, an additional 100 surgeries will be carried out on top of the 1,200 procedures already scheduled this year.”
The new strategy also seeks to address the shortage of specialist care in Ireland, which has led many women to travel abroad for treatment. The Endometriosis Association of Ireland said hundreds of patients continue to seek surgery overseas due to the lack of trained clinicians in Ireland capable of performing excision surgery — regarded internationally as the gold standard for long-term management of the disease.
Robin Murray, co-founder of the Her Voice Project, welcomed the framework but emphasised the need to expand access to specialist surgeries domestically. “There are still girls suffering who have to travel abroad,” she said. “My hope is that one day we won’t have to go abroad at all, and the funding will stay in Ireland to build specialist services.”
HSE Chief Executive Bernard Gloster announced a new financial support scheme for patients who continue to seek treatment abroad. Under the scheme, the HSE will directly cover the costs of approved surgeries and associated travel expenses without requiring patients to pay upfront and seek reimbursement later.
Gloster said the HSE would work over the next two years to increase capacity within the Irish health system, including sending surgeons abroad for specialist training in leading international centres. He also confirmed that endometriosis cases will now be recorded separately from general gynaecology statistics to ensure better tracking and resource planning.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said the government is committed to building long-term capacity within Ireland’s health service, while ensuring that women needing treatment abroad receive proper financial support in the interim. “We are doing something different to help women now, while we build the system we need for the future,” she said.
