Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 Nov 1996

Vol. 472 No. 1

Written Answers. - AIDS Research.

Tom Moffatt

Question:

154 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Health the statistics available and the research which has been carried out by the State in each of the years from 1985 to date in 1996 in relation to AIDS; the funding which has been expended by the various health boards in relation to AIDS, either by way of preventative publicity or treatment of persons affected by AIDS. [22700/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): In 1991 the Minister for Health set up a National AIDS Strategy Committee to examine various aspects of AIDS. This committee in turn established sub-committees which undertook a range of research into the areas of: Care and management of persons with HIV/AIDS; HIV/AIDS surveillance; Education and prevention strategies; Measures to avoid discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS.

Each sub-committee provided a report, which was published in April 1992, and which became the recommendations for a national AIDS strategy. Since then the Department of Health and health boards, which are responsible for the provision of health services, have been working to implement these recommendations. Since 1992 additional funding has been provided to all boards to provide HIV/AIDS and drugs services.

North-Western Health Board	1995	5,000
	1996	10,000
Midland Health Board	1995	10,000
	1996	10,000

On foot of Government decisions on measures to reduce the demand for drugs in February 1996, a further sum of £3.5 million was allocated for drug services. A significant proportion of this sum will aim to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS among injecting drug users. Breakdown of the allocations to health boards is as follows:

	£
Eastern Health Board	2.8 million
Southern Health Board	125,000
Western Health Board	50,000
South-Eastern Health Board	50,000
North-Eastern Health Board	100,000
Mid-Western Health Board	100,000
North-Western Health Board	20,000
Midland Health Board	30,000

In addition, my Department's health promotion unit has spent the following amounts on AIDS prevention initiatives since 1989;

	£
1989	110,596
1990	57,193
1991	182,361
1992	252,236
1993	355,280
1994	246,645
1995	335,534
1996	205,383
(to date)

As treatment for HIV/AIDS is provided in a number of facilities, ranging from primary care to tertiary treatment in acute general hospitals, it is not possible to give a breakdown of the amount of funding expended in relation to the treatment of persons with AIDS.

Statistics on AIDS have been provided since 1985. The cumulative numbers of AIDS cases since 1985 are as follows: 1985, 13; 1986, 19; 1987, 42; 1988, 86; 1989, 143; 1990, 207; 1991, 279; 1992, 349; 1993, 418; 1994, 479; 1995, 498; 1996, 514 (at 31 March 1996).

In 1991 a HIV primary care research unit was set up, with funding provided by my Department, in conjunction with the Department of general Practice in University College, Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The unit's terms of reference were to establish the optimum role for primary care in the management and prevention of HIV and AIDS, to develop the Protocols and educational means of implementing this role in the setting of Irish general practice and to examine the psychosocial aspects of living with HIV and to assess how the interface with primary care could be developed to enhance the quality of life and needs of individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Various research projects have been undertaken by the unit including a survey of general practitioners, a survey of HIV positive patients, a cohort study of HIV positive patients attending two Dublin general practices, the use of primary care services by drug users attending HIV prevention unit, a quality of life study, a Merchants Quay study on primary health care needs of injecting drug users and GP/hospital combined care of patients with HIV disease. Publications are available on these projects and other aspects related to research of HIV/AIDS.

My Department commissioned the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and Nexus Research to provide a report and baseline study on HIV prevention strategies and the gay community. This was published in 1995 and its recommendations form the basis for the development of future prevention strategies for this specific group.

Since almost 50 per cent of cases of HIV/AIDS are drug related the funding which is provided to health boards is for the provision of both drugs and AIDS services. Additional funding granted each year to health boards since 1992 for drugs and AIDS services is as follows:

		£
Eastern Health Board	1992	917,073
	1993	1,632,927
	1994	618,486
	1995	1,431,514
	1996	1,338,000
Southern Health Board	1994	243,490
	1995	137,000
	1996	67,000
Western Health Board	1994	90,000
	1995	10,000
	1996	10,000
South-Eastern Health Board	1994	24,500
	1995	25,000
	1996	10,000
North-Eastern Health Board	1994	50,000
	1995	20,000
	1996	50,000
Mid-Western Health Board	1994	140,000
	1995	60,000
	1996	10,000