The Government needs a new initiative to tackle sexual health problems in Ireland
Posted by Eamonn O'Gara on February 19, 2010 at 01:39 PM
It was recently brought to my attention that constituents in many parts of my Ireland East constituency, particular in its northern counties, have to travel up to ninety kilometres and pay up to 160 euro in order to monitor their sexual health.
Thankfully, it is practise in Ireland's eight universities, including NUI Maynooth, to offer STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) checks for its students free of charge. This is an important service, as students are among the most 'at risk' demographics in terms of STIs. There is no need to turn the issue of STI check ups into a witch hunt, or cause undue concern, as only 1 in 100 people will contract an STI in their lifetime. However this is still a relatively large statistic, particularly when applied to young people, and services should exist to provide STI checks, for peace of mind if nothing else, free of charge.
Currently only Carlow and Portlaoise provide a free STI check up (by appointment) in the Ireland East constituency (which comprises all Leinster counties except Westmeath, Longford and Dublin). These are supplemented by services at public hospitals in nearby Waterford, Clonmel and Dublin (St James's and Tallaght hospitals). However this leaves a large proportion of the constituency, particularly Louth, Meath, Offaly and Kildare, critically under-served by sexual health clinics. For those living in these areas who wish to monitor their sexual health, there are two options- either travel up to ninety kilometres in order to visit one of the public services available, or pay an average of 120 euro at a private clinic or GP's office to have the test.
This problem is confounded by the fact that many towns cannot even offer the services of a private clinic. These financial and geographical restrictions have no doubt contributed to the sharp rise of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Ireland over the past decade or so. Nationally, notifications for STIs have increased steadily each year since 1994, increasing by 6.5% between 2002 and 2003 (the latest year for which national statistics are available).
This problem is obviously growing and needs to be tackled before it reaches more severe proportions. In Ireland East, preventative measures would be very simple and relatively cost free to install. Public hospitals already exist at Naas, Navan, Dundalk and Drogheda. However the residents of these and surrounding towns are being asked to either pay 120 euro and/or travel to Dublin or Portlaoise in order to monitor their sexual health. An STI clinic at these hospitals one day a week would serve the needs of these areas and require relatively little investment in infrastructure or staff.
Given that STI clinics are far more widespread in other EU countries, and with the government continuing to apply a VAT rate of 13.5% on most forms of contraception (compared with 5% in Britain), these measures are not unreasonable. The government cannot lecture Irishmen and women on sexual health when it is not prepared to take the necessary measures itself. It must pull its head from the sand and act on this burgeoning health problem.
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