Gino Kenny Questions Fees at New Specialist Menopause Clinics
Gino Kenny raised concerns about access and fees at six specialist menopause clinics announced by the Department of Health, pressing for a review of charges affecting women without a medical card. He argued the GP charges - €150 initial and €75 follow-ups for some patients - risk undermining universal access to care.
Specialist clinics announced
The Department of Health has announced six specialist menopause clinics, which were described as welcome steps to standardise women’s health services. The speaker noted there are staffing issues to be addressed but welcomed the new clinics.
Local feedback and early openings
The minister reported the six clinics will be up and running this year and said feedback has been very positive; one clinic was opened in the Rotunda the previous week. Practitioners and patients were cited as giving encouraging responses to the specialist services.
Cost and access concerns raised by the deputy
The deputy highlighted that women without a medical card face an initial charge of 150 euros and 75 euros thereafter when engaging GPs for menopause care. He linked this cost burden to broader debates on universal health care and asked that charges be reviewed to improve free access to services.
Minister’s clarification on fees
The minister said the specialist menopause clinics themselves are free for everyone - whether a medical card holder, GP card holder or not. Where charges occur is in GP consultations, with some GPs applying higher fees for extended appointments; the minister said this issue has been brought to attention and should be explored further.
Next steps and outstanding issues
Both access and staffing were identified as outstanding issues to monitor as the clinics roll out. The deputy sought a future review of GP charging practices to ensure menopause care is genuinely accessible to all women.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Teachta, the Department of Health announced six specialist menopause clinics in recent weeks and this is very very welcome in relation to standardising women's health in Ireland and obviously there is an issue with staffing but hopefully that can be overcome but the issue that I've been contacted by a number of women in my constituency is in regards to price if you don't have a medical card you will have to pay 150 euros initial charge and then 75 thereafter now we've been speaking about universal health care we're speaking about Shalanta care you know but you know if if you don't have a medical card you're kind of burdened with that kind of that price is there can this be reviewed in the future in relation to access this health care for free Thanks deputy we'll have the six menopause clinics up and running this year and the feedback we're getting I opened the one in the rotunda just last week the feedback we're getting from patients and from practitioners is incredibly positive specifically to the specialist menopause clinics those services are free for free for everybody so whether you have a medical card GP card or nothing the specialist clinic is free where there is a charge is for women who are engaging with their GPs some of the GPs are saying because it is an extended consultation they're putting in a longer cost it's something I am aware of it has been brought to my attention in recent in recent weeks and it is something I would like to see explored be would you like to see��겠습니다 you
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
