Kathleen Funchion urges a state-run women's hospital
Kathleen Funchion spoke in the concluding debate about a proposed women's hospital and the broader failures in women's healthcare. She argued the facility must be state-run and state-owned, warning that private provision risks repeating past mistreatment of women.
Calls for a state-run hospital
She thanked Deputy Colin Aan for bringing the matter forward and said the debate was concluding. She insisted the hospital must be state-run and state-owned, arguing a first-class facility is overdue and necessary to prevent continued poor treatment of women.
History of failures in women's healthcare
Funchion outlined a history of inadequate state treatment of women, citing the cervical check scandal and shortcomings in breast cancer screening. She said many women across the country share serious concerns about how the State has handled women's health services.
Specific conditions highlighted
She referenced gaps in services around menopause and perimenopausal diagnosis, and raised endometriosis as a frequently misdiagnosed condition that can affect fertility and long-term health. She said these issues have not received adequate recognition or timely treatment.
Personal anecdote on misdiagnosis
Funchion recounted a close case she had raised previously in the convention centre: a young woman misdiagnosed for years who was nearly taken for gallbladder surgery at 25 until a scan revealed endometriosis. She used the story to underline how misdiagnosis and inadequate screening can have serious consequences.
Conclusion and demand
She called the current situation unacceptable and disgraceful, stating women have been failed by the State and emphasizing the need for a state-owned, state-run hospital to restore trust and improve women's health services. She closed by reiterating the urgency of ensuring the new hospital is publicly owned.
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Thanks very much. First, I want to thank my own colleague Deputy Colin Aan for bringing this forward. Look, this is the concluding of the debate. We know that there is very serious concerns and they are not just concerns by us in opposition, but there are concerns by so many women throughout the whole country. Unfortunately, it comes as a result of the history of the treatment by the state of women. We all know we have had several discussions in this chamber on many issues in relation to women, but particularly in relation to women's health, and some of those are not as historic as others. The cervical check situation, cervical scandal, that was not that far long in our history. There were issues around breast cancer screening, the list is endless. I actually wanted to take the opportunity because I think my colleagues have made the points that this does need to be a state, Rowan Hospital. I think it is really important, but there are so many medical services for women that are just not adequate or that are absolutely not at the races. There have been discussions around menopause and I think it really made it to go to the point where there were discussions on the national airwaves where people were ringing in to national programmes before there had been any sort of recognition of the amount of work that has to be done. Women literally left, not being diagnosed as perimenopausal and all of the other things that come with that. I also want to mention endometriosis. That is a very serious condition that very many women suffer from, that is misdiagnosed, that is not treated, that countless women have difficulties and issues and it can seriously affect fertility and other issues later in your life if it is not addressed. Last year when we were sitting in the convention centre I told a story of somebody who is very close to me who was misdiagnosed for years and actually was in the gown going down for a gallbladder operation at the age of 25 when luckily somebody had the cop on and the common sense to say I wonder should we do a scan of the uterus as well. Up to that point imagine that it had not been done and it was endometriosis and they were about to remove this person's gallbladder in the gown ready fast from the night before. That is the type of service that women unfortunately have gotten used to and they should not. It is unacceptable, it is disgraceful and by not having a fully state-run and state-owned hospital women are afraid that this kind of treatment is going to continue and that is not to even get into the whole debate on repealing the eighth amendment that was successful in 2018 and the knock-on effect for that. I am out of time but I did just want to say that women have been failed so badly in this state. We have an opportunity to have a first-class hospital that we all want, that we all know is overdue, but it needs to be state-run and state-owned. Thank you, Ciancola.
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