Women vomiting 100 or more times a day, vomiting so much they are bursting blood vessels in their eyes or rupturing their oesophagus, feeling so sick they choose to terminate a much-wanted pregnancy rather than suffering for the entire pregnancy with this illness, and suffering post-traumatic distress and considering suicide: that is what happens when you have hyperemesis. There is a drug that can help with this but the Government has made it so difficult to access this drug under the drug payment scheme that it is virtually impossible to do so. There is no medical or licensing reason for the way the Government has set that up. If I was more sceptical, I would imagine it is a financial limitation that is being put on this. What is the Government going to do to reduce and remove these barriers for women who are suffering so much during their pregnancy?

I entirely reject the characterisation by the Deputy. As she will be aware, the Government has just made Cariban free. That has never happened before. It is an unlicensed product-----

There is no point in having that if people cannot get it.

The Minister, without interruption.

It is an unlicensed product, as the Deputy will be aware. If she has been reading the responses, she will also be aware that the HSE is following exactly the protocol that it follows in all such cases for an unlicensed product, which in the first instance is that a specialist has to prescribe, and then a GP can. The Deputy, of course, is also aware, although none of this is reflected in her contribution, that I have asked the HSE to review this, given that many women who would benefit from Cariban could avail of and benefit from it earlier than when they would typically have their first appointment with an obstetrician.