Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Apr 1999

Vol. 503 No. 5

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Alan Shatter

Question:

32 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the position concerning the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, United Kingdom, in providing a heart and lung and lung transplant service and the arrangements entered into with the hospital; and the position in advancing arrangements to provide this service in the Mater Hospital. [8899/99]

Alan Shatter

Question:

100 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the position concerning the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, United Kingdom, in providing heart and lung and lung transplant services and the arrangements entered into with Freeman Hospital; the position in advancing arrangements to provide this service in the Mater Hospital; and when the arrangements with Freeman Hospital will come into operation. [10491/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 100 together.

I was pleased to announce in recent weeks that an agreement has been concluded with the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle for the treatment of Irish patients requiring a lung or heart and lung transplant. This agreement is for a two year period and came into effect on 1 April 1999. Under the terms of the agreement with the Freeman Hospital, I am satisfied that the prospects for Irish patients requiring a transplant will be significantly improved. The agreement provides for a total of 30 transplants to be performed over the next two years, with a minimum of ten transplants to be performed in the first year, subject to the availability of sufficient and suitable organs.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, contains a specific commitment to support the establishment of a heart and lung transplant facility in Ireland. I reinforced that commitment through the announcement last year of a National Initiative on Cardiovascular Health and Cardiac Services.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that significant progress is being made in advancing this commitment.

Last year I announced that the Mater Hospital, Dublin, has been designated as the surgical site for the programme. A project team has been appointed at the Mater Hospital to plan the development of the transplant unit as part of a wider development programme at the hospital. A critical factor in the establishment of a successful programme in Ireland will be the training of appropriate surgical, medical, nursing and support staff. In this regard, a further agreement is being entered into with the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, for the training and education of staff for the Irish unit, prior to it's repatriation, Irish transplant programmes have previously benefited from similar training and mentor type arrangements with established centres in the UK.

The process of recruiting staff for the programme is under way. In this regard, funding has been approved by my Department for the appointment of a consultant transplant surgeon and funding is also available to support the early appointment of a consultant transplant physician for the programme. Other key appointments at the Mater Hospital which my Department is supporting include a business manager and a clinical co-ordinator who will be dedicated to the transplant programme. The overall level of staffing for the programme is at present being finalised by the Mater Hospital.

I am committed to ensuring that the Irish programme, when introduced, will be in a position to match the highest international standards in lung and heart-lung transplantation. I am confident that the measures which I have outlined will facilitate this objective.