For too long, sexual health services have been treated as little more than an afterthought by the State, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson P\u00e1draig Rice.<\/p>\n
Deputy Rice, who is the Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cA new Sexual Health Strategy was published last year, three years after the previous one expired, but it contained no funding commitments, nor timelines for delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen counties still have no public in-person sexual health services, while research published by the National Women\u2019s Council just last week revealed that nearly one in three women experiences barriers in accessing the Free Contraception Scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cFigures released to me by the HSE also show that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) waiting lists continue to remain stubbornly high at around 800 people. In Dublin, the wait time is up to a year, while waiting lists in Limerick and Clare are closed to new appointments. Waterford has no PrEP service at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrEP is a potential game changer in reducing HIV transmission, but it must be made readily available. It could be possible to end HIV transmissions in Ireland, but to get there we need action, not just words.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Health Committee is very concerned about the state of Ireland\u2019s sexual health services, and that is why we will be putting a spotlight on this overlooked area of healthcare next month. In recent memory, there has been no dedicated discussion on sexual health services at an Oireachtas Health Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cAhead of the Committee\u2019s meeting on sexual health services in May, the Committee is holding a public consultation on the adequacy and availability of sexual health services. If you\u2019d like to share your experience, please send your submission to health.submissions@oireachtas.ie by 5pm this Thursday, April 30th.<\/p>\n
\u201cSexual health services have never been prioritised, and the stigma and shame that surrounds these services has allowed that to go under the radar. This must change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need an open and frank discussion about sexual health services, and crucially, we need the Minister to show leadership and provide proper investment, because this aspect of healthcare badly needs resourcing.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 28th, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For too long, sexual health services have been treated as little more than an afterthought by the State, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson P\u00e1draig Rice. Deputy Rice, who is the Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, said: \u201cA new Sexual Health Strategy was published last year, three years after the previous one expired, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,729,642,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-lgbtqi","category-padraig-rice","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n