Half of the country's maternity hospitals do not offer full abortion services

The public is to be asked for their views on abortion services in this country as part of a review to be carried out by the Department of Health. Picture: Pexels

Half of county's maternity hospitals still do not offer full abortion services more than two years after the law to allow for termination of pregnancies was introduced.

Under Government policy, termination of pregnancy services requiring hospital treatment should be provided in all 19 maternity hospitals and units to "ensure appropriate geographic coverage across all areas of the country", but just 10 currently offer terminations up to 12 weeks.

The Department of Health had hoped to visit hospitals still not offering the service late last year, however, this engagement was cancelled due to Covid-19.

"The Department continues to engage with the HSE National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in relation to plans for the further rollout of termination services in additional maternity hospitals/units," secretary general of the Department of Health Robert Watt said.

"In this context, the NWIHP and the clinical lead had planned to visit a number of hospitals in the latter part of 2020 to support sites where the service was operational; and to engage with the other sites to overcome any obstacles preventing the commencement of the full service. 

"However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible for those site visits to proceed," he said, in a letter to the Oireachtas Health Committee.

It comes as the public is to be asked for their views on abortion services in this country as part of a review to be carried out by the Department of Health.

Mr Watt confirmed that a review of legislation enacted after the repeal of the Eighth Amendment will be conducted this year.

Recommendations to change any aspects of abortion services in this country will then be brought to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

This review will involved a three-part approach and will focus on those who have used the service, hospital that provide abortion service as well as a public consultation process.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, which provides universal access to termination of pregnancy services, came into force in January 2019 and states that the Minister for Health must carry out a review of how it is operating no later than three years after the commencement.

"Research to inform the service user and service provider strands will be commissioned and carried out independently, while the Department will manage the public consultation," Mr Watt wrote in a letter to the Oireachtas Health Committee.

"The Department will collate the findings of the three strands of the review. Upon completion a full report, with any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to the Minister for Health for consideration," he said.

Mr Watt also told the committee that in early 2020, as part of the Government's ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of Covid-19, arrangements were put in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely.

"For the duration of the Covid-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, terminations under section 12 of the Act (i.e. before 12 weeks of pregnancy) may be accessed from medical practitioners by telephone or video conference consultation."

Mr Watt said this arrangement will lapse once the public emergency is declared over.