The announcement that the National Gender Service’s waiting list is to close will leave the trans community with even fewer avenues for care, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice TD.
Deputy Rice said:
“The trans community continues to be utterly failed by the State – the National Gender Service is not fit for purpose, and the decision to close its waiting list to new patients is further proof of that.
“The system is broken and in need of urgent reform, but successive Health Ministers have completely neglected trans healthcare and allowed this threadbare service to operate on the verge of collapse.
“But this is not simply an issue of resourcing, as has been indicated. The whole model of care is wrong, and that is at the core of this issue.
“As of last month, the average waiting time for an assessment from the NGS was four and a half years – however, community estimates say it’s likely more than a decade.
“In what other part of the health service would that be considered acceptable? There would be uproar. Where is the Minister’s sense of urgency?
“We know that trans healthcare services are lifesaving – in 2013, TENI found that access to trans healthcare results in lower rates of self-harm, suicidality, depression and anxiety.
“It found that 78% of trans people considered suicide but after they accessed trans healthcare, that figure dropped to 4%.
“The Minister for Health must intervene following this latest development, but above all, she must finally deliver a new model of trans healthcare – the current model is causing real harm to members of the trans community.
“A new model of care, delivered in the community and based on the principle of informed consent, is needed now. Crucially, this must be developed and delivered in partnership with the trans community.
“How much longer will this marginalised community be denied the care it deserves before tangible action is taken? I urge the Minister to give this matter the attention it deserves.”
December 12th, 2025