NI remains the only part of the UK and Ireland without a specialist NHS endometriosis centre
Belfast City Council is to raise awareness to “fight stigma” against endometriosis, and has made an urgent call to the Belfast Trust and Stormont Health Minister to introduce facilities and reduce waiting lists.
At a recent meeting at City Hall, elected representatives agreed to a motion put forward jointly by People Before Profit and the Green Party.
Endometriosis is an often-painful condition for females in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining the pelvis.
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A City Hall motion, by People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins and Green Councillor Áine Groogan, states: ““This council notes that 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis, the second most common gynaecological condition. Endometriosis is a chronic and life changing condition.
“Despite this, waiting times for endometriosis treatment in NI has been labelled ‘shocking’ by Endometriosis UK. Women often have to wait years for an NHS diagnosis and can be waiting up to seven years for life changing surgery.
“The Department of Health figures show that the total number of women waiting for a gynaecology outpatient appointment here has more than doubled in seven years, yet NI remains the only part of the UK and Ireland without a specialist endometriosis centre available through the public health service.
“Those unable to afford private care are forced to wait years for NHS treatment, enduring avoidable pain that inhibits their quality of life. This council will write to the Belfast Health Trust and the Health Minister to outline these concerns and request urgent investment to bolster NHS support and reduce waiting times for endometriosis patients.”
It adds: “This council also notes the wider lack of awareness around endometriosis and other female health related illnesses. It therefore will commit to organising a public workshop in Belfast City Hall to help end the stigma around endometriosis.
“It will invite statutory health bodies, women’s health campaign groups, elected members, council staff and members of the public to attend and participate in this event, to raise awareness, and build support for patients of this illness.”
People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins said at the August meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee: “I would welcome officers going off and producing a report on this. The idea is to address the gender health gap, which significantly impacts women.
“A report in 2024 shows there were 34,000 women on the waiting list, and five percent of those have been waiting almost three years. There is still no dedicated, NHS run unit in the Belfast area. The nearest is Altnagelvin.”
Chair of the People and Communities Committee, DUP Councillor Ruth Brooks said: “I do a lot of work on this in my day job, and it has been quite hard for women who have, or are not aware of having at this stage, endometriosis. There were two Trusts that did have the accreditation to do gynae operations, and the Belfast trust were working towards it, but as coronavirus >Covid hit, unfortunately all of those services fell by the wayside.
“We have issues of women waiting seven and eight years to be diagnosed, and by that stage they aren’t able to have children. I have been dealing with a constituent who is repeatedly being told she had an abdominal issue, and it wasn’t, it was very much gynae.
“So it is great that this report is coming back.” She also suggested the Health Minister be asked if any work was being done into “intra-jurisdiction” mapping and referrals for patients.
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