Healthcare Policy
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City

I again thank Senator Murphy O'Mahony for raising the issue of the ongoing struggles faced by people living in Ireland with inflammatory bowel disease.
I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and will convey this to her on the Senator's behalf. The other matter she raised would be relevant to other Departments and Ministers. There are measures in place to reduce the cost burden of coping with long-term illness. The Government remains committed to improving healthcare services, providing for each citizen of Ireland.
Inflammatory bowel disease has been highlighted as an area of utmost importance through the work of the national clinical programme for gastroenterology and hepatology, shown throughout the development of the IBD working group, which is comprised of consultants, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, including dietitians and psychologists, and a patient representative. The key output from the working group has been the development of an IBD modernised care pathway. This care pathway will service patients, both adults and children, presenting with consistent gastrointestinal symptoms lasting more than six weeks, abdominal pain, indigestion, changes in bowel habit, internal bleeding, nausea, loss of appetite and loss of weight, and patients with a known diagnosis of family bowel disease. The Government remains committed to improving access to care for acute and chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease through Sláintecare healthcare reforms.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26