May I share my time with Senator Mullooly?
Adjournment Matters. - MRSA in Irish Hospitals.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
It is not my intention to alarm the public but I raise this matter because of a number of articles, radio programmes and a television programme which highlighted MRSA, generally known as the "superbug", in hospitals in Ireland and England. I want to establish how prevalent the bug is in our hospitals and if it is an issue that has been or is being dealt with by the Department of Health. Has the Department carried out any survey or investigations or had discussions with those in charge of hospitals? My understanding is that the bug is not treatable with existing antibiotics. There is a view that it may be in our hospitals but they are not prepared to admit it because they are not in a position to treat it and they would not want the public to know that such a situation prevailed. However, the public should know. In the past information was withheld from the public. It is now becoming more apparent that information on BSE and CJD was available many years ago before the public knew about it. The public did not know about hepatitis C until late in the day.
The media has brought this issue into the public domain. The Department of Health and the Minister have a duty and responsibility to explain to the public the circumstances and prevalence of MRSA in hospitals. The public has become sceptical about Departments and Government. If the bug exists in our hospitals, I do not want to see a cover up; I want information provided to the public. I have no doubt the Minister is aware of this but I have not read any statements or publications from the Department of the Health on this matter and it is time we had them. I hope the Minister will give a broad statement of the facts on MRSA, or the "superbug" as it is known in our hospitals.
I thank Senator Finneran for sharing his time and I congratulate him for raising this important matter.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to make a short contribution in support of the case the Senator has put forward. As he pointed out, MRSA has received considerable publicity in the media, particularly on radio, in recent weeks. This publicity, combined with the experiences outlined by various listeners who called to the radio programme, has raised considerable fears among the general public as regards the risks of infection for hospital patients. It is important for the public, the patients and their relatives that these fears are allayed. There is a great deal of stress and worry associated with hospitalisation and this can be further exacerbated by fears of infection.
I understand that Ireland is one of the few EU countries which has not put in place a national surveillance unit to monitor the prevalence of MRSA in Irish hospitals and that only a minority of hospitals have an infection control officer or nurse or specially designated infection unit. Was there a recommendation some time ago from a Department of Health committee that such a national surveillance unit be established? Will the Minister outline what data the Department has on the incidence of MRSA in hospitals and to what extent the existence of this problem in hospitals is an obstacle to the delivery of services? It would be helpful if we knew what steps are proposed by the Department to ascertain the full extent of this problem in hospitals and what safeguards it proposes to put in place to mitigate the problem. I look forward to the Minister's response.
Limerick East): I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for providing this opportunity to discuss the measures which have been put in place by my Department to control and reduce the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA on a nationwide basis. The emergence worldwide of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria over the last 20 years, has become one of the most serious threats to the control and successful treatment of infection. MRSA is the commonest of these bacteria encountered in this country and the development of measures to ensure its control has been a major priority both for individual hospitals and my Department.
I have been anxious to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to control and reduce the prevalence of MRSA. In September 1993 a committee comprising representatives from the Department of Health, consultant microbiologists, specialists in public health medicine, general practice and the Infection Control Nurses Association was established to identify the extent to which MRSA was a problem in the Irish health system and to establish priorities for its control. A national survey of the prevalence of MRSA was carried out to assess the extent of the problem and the committee also recommended a comprehensive set of guidelines covering procedures for the management of MRSA in acute hospitals and other health care settings. The committee also produced guidelines and information for patients and health care staff.
These national guidelines were endorsed by a wide range of professional bodies involved in the control of MRSA and I was happy to publish the guidelines last year. The guidelines have been widely circulated throughout the country giving invaluable advice on preventing the spread of MRSA. These guidelines are an important step in promoting awareness of MRSA and the measures for its control and will ensure an even safer environment for the care of the sick both in the hospital and community.
While the survey already carried out serves as an important baseline for assessing the effectiveness of the guidelines, I am also committed to ensuring that future trends in the prevalence of MRSA continue to be closely monitored. The establishment of a national disease surveillance unit is currently being considered and the faculties of pathology and public health medicine of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland have submitted to the Department of Health a consensus proposal drawn up by a group representing the various professional organisations with a particular interest in the area. This proposal envisages a national surveillance mechanism which would build on the reporting systems which have been developed in some regions, and which would assist in the control of all communicable diseases, including hospital acquired infections such as MRSA.
Hospital acquired infection, including MRSA, is a potential indicator of quality of care and I would like to reassure Senators of my continuing commitment to addressing this issue in the context of my Department's strategy for effective health care in the 1990s —"Shaping a Healthier Future"— which has emphasised quality of service as one of its key principles. Much has already been achieved to address the challenges presented by antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA. I am confident that widespread awareness of the guidelines for its control and the development of surveillance systems will prove to be valuable weapons in the fight to make our hospitals as safe as possible an environment for the care of the sick.
The problem is that I am as much in the dark after the Minister's statement as I was before I came into the House. We still do not have the information. I do not know how many people or hospitals are involved and that is the great worry among the public. It is a matter that cannot be left as it is. We want more information and the Department should provide it.
The Seanad adjourned at 12.50 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 11 December 1996.