Department of Health unsure of number of legal abortions carried out in 2021

The department said the Minister for Health has a statutory obligation to report the figures notified to him. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

The Department of Health doesn’t know exactly how many legal abortions were carried out in Ireland last year.

The department was notified of 4,577 abortions in accordance with the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, but officials have admitted the actual figure is much higher.

Issues around the figures emerged during the writing of the third annual report on abortions in accordance with the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.

The department has now asked the HSE to assess “the level of confidence in overall notification numbers”.

Figures received from the HSE indicate that approximately 6,700 claims for reimbursement were made for a termination of pregnancy second consultation under the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme (PCRS).

The Department of Health said: “It is reasonable to conclude, based on the information available, the number of terminations notified to the minister is substantially lower than the number of terminations carried out in 2021.

“The minister has a statutory obligation to report the figures notified to him.

“However, in the interests of openness and transparency, the minister wishes to highlight this matter alongside the publication of the 2021 report.”

The report added that while 2021 was “an enormously challenging year”, any medical professional who carried out abortions last year is being urged to review their records “as a matter of priority”.

The sector is being told to then submit any outstanding notifications to the Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly.

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Officials have also been liaising with the National Women and Infants Health Programme and the HSE has followed up with hospitals providing termination of pregnancy services.

The department has also engaged with the HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme Service to cross-check termination of pregnancy claims under the GP contract against Section 20 notifications.

The department and the HSE has also consulted with the Irish College of General Practitioners and the Irish Medical Organisation on the matter.

The Irish Medical Organisation has, as a result, circulated a reminder to its members to sort out any outstanding paperwork and submit it.