Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Question:9 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health the current progress in the national screening programme for hepatitis C; the numbers already identified; and when the work will be completed. [15497/95]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Screening Programme for Hepatitis C.
(Limerick East): The optional testing programme for hepatitis C for recipients of blood transfusions or blood products was launched on 12 September 1995. Since the launch of the programme 4,192 blood samples have been received and tested to date by the Blood Transfusion Service Board. Eight persons have tested positive for hepatitis C antibodies.
It is too early at this stage to draw any definitive conclusions from the optional testing programme. It is intended that the Blood Transfusion Service Board will continue to place advertisements, at intervals, in all national and provincial newspapers informing people about the programme for the forseeable future.
Is the Minister satisfied that all information necessary to support his national screening programme is available to general practitioners who will play a key role in ensuring total co-operation in the screening programme?
(Limerick East): Yes. Consultations were held with the representative bodies of the general practitioners and I understand they were happy with the information available. I have not had any complaints from any general practitioner that the fullest information necessary was not provided. Full information packs were made available to general practitioners in advance.
Will the Minister indicate whether the families of deceased persons who may have contracted hepatitis C have been contacted as part of the national screening programme?
(Limerick East): The contact arrangements for the national screening programme are that advertisements are placed in the newspapers and that will continue both at local and national level. In addition, occasions such as today will attract publicity which will alert people. In the first instance, the target group are persons who have received blood transfusions but, as the programme operates through general practitioners, if a person expresses concern on a normal visit to a GP, the GP may decide, among other things, to test for hepatitis C by taking a blood sample and that is what is happening. It is at the discretion of the GP to decide how wide that screening would be but it is targeted at recipients of blood transfusions.
I appreciate that but I think the Minister misunderstood what I meant. The Minister knows, as do other Members of the House who have been involved in this issue, that a number of persons who contracted hepatitis C by way of a transfusion have since died. As part of the national screening programme, does the Blood Transfusion Service Board intend to contract the families of those deceased persons?
(Limerick East): That is not included as part of the national screening programme but it arises from the target look back programme which got under way prior to the screening programme and will continue in parallel with the screening programme. Those issues will arise when further information and data is available from the targeted look back programme.
Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn rose.
The Deputy has had quite some latitude on this question. I am anxious to dispose of the other questions having regard to the fact that there is a strict time limit in dealing with these questions.
I appreciate that, a Cheann Comhairle, and I think you would be the first to admit that I do not ask lengthy supplementaries. Will the Minister say whether a free GP service is in place for all those who have contracted hepatitis C? What advance has the Minister made in the introduction of a hepatitis C card? Does the Minister believe it is time now to reconsider his decision not to agree to a statutory tribunal?
(Limerick East): Free hospital services are available among the range of services which have been made available to those who have hepatitis C. Free GP services for persons who have hepatitis C are not available without the usual qualifications for a medical card but I have informed everybody involved that it is my intention to amend the Act so that what the Deputy has described as a hepatitis C card will be available, although it will not be called that. In other words I will legislate to ensure that free GP services are available without means testing——
How soon?
(Limerick East): The commitment I gave in the original documentation was that they would be available before Christmas.
The Deputy asked a further question about the statutory nature of the tribunal. I have put in place an ad hoc tribunal which has advantages which do not attach to a statutory tribunal. The Deputy is aware of the long delays between the promise of legislation and its eventual enactment. There is a statutory scheme available for processing compensation claims — the courts. The reason we opted for an ad hoc tribunal rather than telling people to process claims through the courts is principally because of the delay in the courts. There is also the question of flexibility in an ad hoc tribunal and it will include elements which would not normally form part of compensation law. For example, there is the possibility of the tribunal allowing instalment payments or making interim awards up to a certain level of prognosis. If the outturn in terms of a person's health is more serious than the prognosis, they could go back into the tribunal again.
If we were to come into the House and put all that on a statutory basis, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do so in any short period of time. It would also be extremely difficult to confine it to people who have hepatitis C and are making compensation claims and not extend it to the generality of compensation claims, for example, claims relating to medical negligence or motor car accidents.
So the Minister is still against it.
(Limerick East): What I have proposed is far more effective. It would not be in the interests of people who have hepatitis C to go down the statutory route. It would simply have little advantage over the court system which is already available. I am not proposing to proceed by way of statute.