O’Shea Welcomes Significant Progress at Cork’s Supra-Regional Endometriosis Centre

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Deputy John Paul O’Shea, has welcomed significant progress in the development and activity of the Supra-Regional Endometriosis Centre at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

Deputy O’Shea said the latest figures provided to him by the HSE demonstrate the growing capacity and activity of the service, which provides specialist endometriosis care to patients across the region.

The figures show that:

– 1,494 patients were seen by the Centre in 2025, with a further 1,373 patients seen between January and the end of August 2026.

– In 2025, the Centre received 518 referrals, of which 340 were accepted.

– In the first eight months of 2026, there were 432 referrals, with 346 accepted.

– The number of new patients seen increased from 324 in 2025 to 390 in the first eight months of 2026.

– There were 1,170 return patient appointments in 2025, with a further 983 return patients seen between January and August 2026.

– 203 surgical procedures for endometriosis were recorded in 2025, with a further 162 procedures carried out in the first eight months of 2026.

– The Centre currently has two dedicated theatre lists per week, one at CUMH and one at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital.

– There are currently four outpatient clinics each week, providing capacity for approximately 34 patients per week across the specialist services.

– Importantly, a third Consultant commenced in September 2026, further strengthening the clinical capacity of the service.

Deputy O’Shea said “I welcome the significant progress that is being made at the Supra-Regional Endometriosis Centre in Cork. The figures provided to me demonstrate that this is a service that is growing in both capacity and activity, with thousands of patients now being seen and hundreds of surgical procedures being carried out.

“In particular, it is very encouraging to see the increase in new patients being seen, alongside the substantial number of return appointments being provided. The Centre saw 1,373 patients in the first eight months of this year alone, compared with 1,494 across the whole of 2025.

“The commencement of a third Consultant this month is another very welcome development. It will further strengthen the specialist team and increase the Centre’s ability to provide care to patients who require specialist assessment and treatment.

“Endometriosis can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life, and timely access to specialist diagnosis, treatment and surgery is extremely important. I have been raising the need for adequate capacity in this area, and I am pleased to see the continued expansion of this service in Cork.

“There are still patients waiting for surgery, and I will continue to monitor waiting times and capacity closely. However, these latest figures show that real progress is being made, and the additional consultant capacity should further support the service as it continues to develop.”

Deputy O’Shea added that he would continue to engage with the Minister for Health and the HSE regarding the ongoing development of the Centre and the need to ensure that patients can access specialist endometriosis care as promptly as possible.

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