Irish Medical Times Medical News for Healthcare Professionals
Revised model of care allows remote consultation for termination of pregnancy services
A remote consultation with a patient seeking an abortion is to be permitted under a revised model of care to apply for the duration of the Covid-19 public health.
As set out under the 2018, it did not exclude an examination being carried out by remote means such as telemedicine or video consultation, according to Health Minister, Simon Harris.
During debate on the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020, the Minister said, based on his legal advice, he was satisfied that including remote consultation in the model of care at this time would ensure that medical practitioners could continue to deliver a safe service.
Also, that they could do so while reducing social contact, the risk to a woman’s health, as well as to that of the doctor and other patients, and reducing the burden on medical practitioners at an extraordinarily busy time.
Section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 dealt with termination of early pregnancy.
As it is had set out in section 12, the phrase “having examined” did not exclude the possibility of the examination being carried out by other means, for example, by telemedicine or video conference.
Section 12 provided that a termination of pregnancy may be carried out “where, having examined the pregnant woman, he or she is of the reasonable opinion formed in good faith that the pregnancy concerned has not exceeded 12 weeks of pregnancy”.
The Act did not prescribe the actions or clinical aspects of the medical practitioner’s examination of the woman.
Minister Harris did not propose any amendments to the Act but was reassured that the revised model of care would ensure that the service would be safely delivered during this time of Covid-19.
The issue had been raised by Deputies Bríd Smith of Solidarity — People, Louise O’Reilly of Sinn Féin and Róisín Shortall of the Social Democrats.
