On Friday (29 May), Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, addressed the Ladies Lounge event held at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). The Minister welcomed progress made in women’s health services, particularly for endometriosis, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening and improving women’s health services across every stage of life.
The Ladies Lounge is a nurse-led educational initiative by the RCSI dedicated to promoting women’s health through education, awareness and conversation around health issues that have historically been under-recognised. Taking place at the end of May, which is Women’s Health Month, last Friday’s event focused on strengthening integrated care pathways and support services for women. Event members included clinicians, researchers and patient advocates to discuss a range of issues, including mental health, reproductive care, cardiovascular health, endometriosis and wider preventative health strategies.
In 2025, the government established the National Endometriosis Framework to create a more coordinated and patient-centred approach to care. The framework aims to improve awareness of the condition among both healthcare professionals and the public, reduce diagnostic delays, establish clear clinical pathways and ensure that women have access to specialist services when required. Under this framework, regional specialist centres, in five of Ireland’s hospitals, will be used to treat moderate cases of endometriosis. This reflects the government’s commitment to move from a ‘fragmented system to a structured, nationally coordinated model of care of endometriosis’.
The Minister also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen diagnostic pathways. Earlier diagnosis is a central objective of the framework, as many women experience being on long waiting lists for appointments and services. Through means of improving awareness among healthcare professionals and enhancing referral systems, the health service aims to reduce these delays and enable women to access treatment sooner. Since 2025, €2 million in funding has been ringfenced for research into all aspects of women’s health, including for endometriosis care. This is the first time Irish research funding has been dedicated specifically to women’s health.
At the event, Minister Carroll MacNeill emphasised that women’s health remains a major priority for the Government. She acknowledged the impact that issues such as endometriosis can have on individuals, families, education, employment and overall wellbeing. The progress achieved so far was presented as part of a broader commitment to addressing gaps in women’s healthcare and ensuring that women receive timely and compassionate care. As part of Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency, an EU Endometriosis Conference will take place on 3 December 2026 in Dublin.
The progress highlighted by Minister Carroll MacNeill is an important acknowledgement of longstanding shortcomings in endometriosis care. While the National Endometriosis Framework sets out ambitious goals around earlier diagnosis, specialist services and integrated care, it remains to be seen whether these commitments will address the persistent challenges experienced by women in Ireland. The success of such frameworks will depend not on policy announcements, but on the timely delivery of services, adequate funding and demonstrable improvements in patient outcomes.
