asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the circumstances surrounding the gift by the Swiss firm, Hoffman La Roche, of six multi-channel analysers to his Department.
6.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Multi-Channel Analysers.
5.
asked the Minister for Health if his Department has received six multi-channel analysers from a company (name supplied) and if he will indicate the purpose and cost thereof.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 6 together.
Discussions were commenced in 1976 between officers of my Department and representatives of the firm of Hoffman La Roche on the question of the price levels in Ireland of certain of the firm's products, which had been considerably higher than the United Kingdom levels for some years previously. Although this price differential has been progressively reduced, the firm agreed, in the light of the disparity in earlier years in prices and in the interest of continuing good relationships, to donate four computerised analysers to hospitals in this country. These machines were installed in St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, the Regional Hospital, Limerick and Ardkeen Hospital, Waterford, in the period July to September 1977. They are machines used for the automated analysis of specimens. The price of the four machines would come to about £220,000.
This arrangement had been negotiated before I became Minister for Health but I have looked over the papers relating to it and I am satisfied that a reasonable compromise was made. The question of the reasonableness of the prices charged for the drugs involved was not easy to determine.
On the one hand, reductions in prices in the United Kingdom had at one time left a wide disparity between the level of prices there and in Ireland but in recent years the prices in the United Kingdom had risen while those for Ireland had remained static for about five years and had thus become relatively favourable. I am also aware that during the period under discussion (1972 to 1977) price levels in other EEC countries and elsewhere for the drugs in question were considerably higher than in the United Kingdom and Ireland.