Michael Bell
Question:13 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he intends to facilitate the establishment of a heart and lung transplant unit in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15915/97]
Written Answers. - Heart and Lung Transplants.
Seán Power
Question:16 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress, if any, which has been made towards the provision of a heart and lung transplant facility in Ireland in view of the enormous suffering being experienced by young people with cystic fibrosis. [15767/97]
Proinsias De Rossa
Question:66 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, taken to implement the undertaking given in the programme for Government to support the establishment of a heart and lung transplant facility in Ireland. [15928/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 16 and 66 together.
I am aware of the difficulties being experienced by patients who are on waiting lists for a lung or heart-lung transplant and I am committed to improving the existing situation. Under present arrangements Irish patients considered in need of a lung or heart-lung transplant are referred by their medical consultant for assessment to an established transplant centre in the UK and if suitable are put on a waiting list for a transplant. At present the number of patients on the waiting list exceeds the availability of suitable organs.
The programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, includes a commitment to support the establishment of a heart and lung transplant facility in Ireland. My Department is now carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the issues involved in this area. This assessment will have particular regard to the experience of other countries, including those with a population size similar to Ireland, which have previously examined the feasibility of establishing a successful lung or heart-lung transplant programme. My Department will be seeking the expert views of key professionals in this field as part of the assessment. The immediate requirement is to examine whether the existing service provided to Irish patients and their families in the UK can be improved, for example, through contracting work to a selected and proven site.
It must also be recognised that the establishment of any successful transplant programme is an extremely complex and difficult task. In preparing to introduce a lung and heart-lung transplant programme in this country the overriding objective must be to ensure that the results of such a programme at least match international standards. One of the critical factors in the successful delivery of a quality transplant programme is whether the level of transplant activity in an established programme is sufficient to maintain the level of expertise required to achieve successful outcomes. It is also essential to have appropriately trained staff, suitable infrastructure and a multidisciplinary approach to ensure successful outcomes. We have previously gained valuable experience in this country in setting up a successful adult liver transplant programme. The question of establishing a lung and heart-lung transplant programme is being considered in part with reference to the experience gained in establishing this programme. A phased approach needs to be adopted, recognising the need to build expertise and to create a programme that is viable in terms of the outcomes for patients, whether it be at home or abroad.
Officials of my Department have had several very positive meetings in the recent past with representatives of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland to discuss the issues involved in setting up a heart-lung and lung transplant programme in Ireland. I welcome this collaborative approach and I am confident it will contribute to a major improvement in services for the patients involved in the immediate future.