Four medical experts with the State’s only 24-hour treatment service for young victims of sexual assault have withdrawn their services after a breakdown in negotiations with the HSE.

The Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service in Galway said it requires funding of €200,000 a year to provide services for children under 14.

The HSE is unwilling to provide that level of funding, it has been claimed.

Dr Joanne Nelson, one of the co-founders of the clinic, said she cannot simply cut corners.

"As a forensic examiner, as a paediatrician, as a medical legal expert in court, I need to stand up in criminal court and say the service I have provided is gold-standard, it meets international best practice, and it's worth funding - and that's what it boils down to," she said.

"We're not prepared to cut corners for these patients, it's too important."