Vol. 529 No. 1
605 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received an application for funding from the Southern Health Board for the pilot scheme for a new National Register of Heart Disease; and if he has made a financial allocation to the Southern Health Board as a result of that application. [1397/01]
As part of the implementation of the Building Healthier Hearts Strategy I am committed to the commencement of a pilot study of a hospital based heart attack register this year. My Department is represented on the national steering group which has developed a proposal for this pilot and agreed with the Southern Health Board to be the pilot area. The National Steering Group and the Southern Health Board have agreed to commence the pilot project in two hospitals in the Southern Health Board region and to extend the project to the eight hospitals in the region over a short period of time.
My Department has received a submission for funding for the pilot project from the Southern Health Board. Discussions with the board are ongoing. Funding for the pilot project is available from the funding announced to implement the cardiovascular health strategy in 2001. I hope to make a financial allocation to the Southern Health Board in the near future.
