Six menopause clinics to be set up under women’s health plan

Six menopause clinics, four postnatal hubs and expanded endometriosis services are being promised by the Government in boosted women’s health services.

The Health Service Executive said the €2.5 million injection into the Women’s Health Action Plan would make a difference countrywide.

Cliona Murphy, clinical lead for the National Women and Infants Health Programme in the HSE, said it has been encouraged to “be ambitious in our work” on women’s health.

“To be in a position mid-year, through this allocation, to expand and accelerate our already ambitious work programme is really satisfying because we know first-hand the difference this will make to the lives of women right around the country,” she said.

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Under the expanded proposals, six specialist menopause clinics are to be set up nationally this year, instead of the four originally envisaged in the plan.

Four community-based postnatal hubs, instead of two, are to be established.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said women had made it clear that postnatal support needed to improve.

“Too many women felt unsupported, isolated and overwhelmed following their baby’s birth,” he said.

“I am delighted that as a result of today’s decisions we will now have four postnatal hubs operating nationwide to support women in areas such as breastfeeding, birth recovery and postnatal depression.”

Social workers

Also, six hospital-based teams involved in the “holistic treatment” of endometriosis are to be added to two “supra-regional specialist centres for complex care” of the condition.

The Government has also pledged to recruit six medical social workers to focus on women from marginalised groups in maternity wards.

The health action plan was launched last month.

It was developed by the Department of Health, HSE, National Women and Infants Health Programme, European Institute for Women’s Health, Irish College of General Practitioners and National Women’s Council of Ireland.