Family planning services curtailed

THE Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has suspended services to medical card holders at its main Dublin clinic, as it has used up all of its HSE funding.

In a statement released yesterday, the IFPA said it had taken the decision because funding from the Health Services Executive had been “exhausted”.

The statement also said that no additional funding is to be made available for the remainder of the year to cover medical card services at its Cathal Brugha Street clinic in Dublin.

The group advised medical card holders to attend their GP for family planning and women’s health services.

IFPA chief executive, Niall Behan, said that there had been an increased demand for its services in recent months and that the suspension of services could have serious consequences for its clients.

“Already this year, we have provided over 4,000 appointments to medical card clients from our city centre clinic. The suspension of our services may have serious consequences for these clients in their choice of contraception. It may also lead to an increase in crisis pregnancy,” he said.

Mr Behan said that the lack of funding being made available to help reduce crisis pregnancy contradicted the Government’s commitment to the issue.

“There is political consensus on the need to prevent crisis pregnancies and reduce the number of women who access abortion services. The Government has committed itself to the task of reducing crisis pregnancy. However, the lack of funding for an important prevention service contradicts this,” he said.

The IFPA chief executive said that those who can least afford access to sexual and reproductive healthcare are the first affected by HSE cuts.

“The loss of the IFPA service to medical card holders further compounds the barriers faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in accessing contraception,” he said.

In a statement yesterday, the HSE said that it provided funding to the IFPA on an annual basis and that the level of funding is limited to an agreed allocation discussed at local service agreement meetings.

The IFPA have exceeded their budget over the past number of years despite clear agreements in place for funding,” the statement read.

The HSE pointed out that a family planning service can be accessed through local GPs.