Vol. 519 No. 2
232 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason, more than a year after his predecessor announced the introduction of screening programmes for HIV, Sligo and Letterkenny Hospitals are still unable to offer the service to patients because of delays in upgrading outdated laboratory equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13611/00]
The introduction of nationwide routine linked antenatal HIV testing was recommended by the national AIDS strategy committee in 1998 since it had been clearly shown that perinatal transmission of HIV can be reduced or prevented by antenatal treatment of HIV positive women with anti-retroviral drugs and by careful management of the delivery and aftercare.
Antenatal HIV testing had been running in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin prior to 1999, and a programme was initially developed along similar lines in the other major Dublin maternity hospitals. Since then it is being introduced on a phased basis in other health board areas where appropriate training has been provided to midwives and other staff.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the introduction of the programme in the North-Western Health Board has not yet been supplied to me, but I will forward it to him as soon as I receive it.
