Written Answers Nos. 408-418
408. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the national strategy on dementia; if a timescale has been set out for its implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20165/14]
View answerThe number of people living with dementia in Ireland is expected to increase threefold to approximately 132,000 by 2041. The Government has accordingly given a commitment to develop a national Alzheimer’s and other dementias strategy to increase awareness, ensure early diagnosis and intervention and ensure development of enhanced community based services. In April 2013, the Minister for Health and I established a National Advisory Group to assist in developing the Irish National Dementia Strategy. Work on this is well advanced and the Strategy will be published in the coming months. Implementation will commence immediately after publication, with the initial emphasis being on actions that can be progressed within existing resources.
409. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health the total amount paid by the Health Service Executive for patients to receive treatment abroad under the E112 scheme in each of the years 2009 to 2013, inclusive, and to date in 2014; and if he will provide a list of the specific treatments to which these payments pertained, including details of the total amount paid in respect of each type of treatment. [20166/14]
View answerThe HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme issues form E112 (IE) for specific episodes of care which an approved patient receives in a public hospital in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. The Health Authority of these countries issue invoices for care provided to the HSE in the form of E125s. These invoices (E125s) are received in arrears - often up to 2 and 3 years in arrears. Therefore the figures detailed as follows are the current costs on this date and are liable to change as invoices for previous years are received and paid and should be read in that context.
The HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) was centralised into a single office in 2012. Prior to this it was administered at various local offices. Comprehensive figures for the TAS prior to the centralisation of the Scheme are not available.
|
Year |
Cost |
Comment |
|
2009 |
Figures for 2009 are not available |
|
|
2010 |
€4,499,806.59 |
The 2010 and 2011 information relates to information available through the central TAS office only. The comprehensive information from all previous 10 regional offices is not available. |
|
2011 |
€2,853,332.13 |
The 2010 and 2011 information relates to information available through the central TAS office only. The comprehensive information from all previous 10 regional offices is not available. |
|
2012 |
€7,415,570.00 |
|
|
2013 |
€7,866,628.10 |
|
|
2014 to end March |
€2,492,801.06 |
Note: Please also bear in mind that the figures are likely to change as invoices from the various countries are received in arrears.
In the interest of patient confidentiality, the HSE cannot disclose details of all treatments which patients travel outside the state to receive. In line with patient confidentiality issues and data protection legislation, the HSE does not disclose information where the number of patients who availed of a particular treatment numbers less than five in any given year. On this basis, the following are the most common treatment types that patients accessed under the HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme: Deep Brain Stimulation; Cardiac Transplantation; Sap Scan; Liver Transplantation.
The Deputy has also sought costs per treatment. The HSE has apologised that it is not possible to give the costs in this way. The reasons for this are:
- The referring consultant stipulates the treating consultant and hospital abroad so referrals for the same treatment may be provided by different providers and even in different countries at different costs;
- The actual cost of a treatment is specific to the needs of the individual patient e.g. one patient may have no complications and be discharged early while another may have complications and require a greater input and/or duration of care.
Therefore to answer the Deputy’s query as to the actual cost of each treatment would require the HSE to provide the individual cost of the circa 1,000 episodes of care provided under the TAS in any given year. This in turn would have implications for patient confidentiality so regretfully that information is not available.
410. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if the inter-hospital transfer of critically ill subarachnoid haemorrhage patients is considered as an emergency; if the emergency ambulance service can be used for the transfer of such patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20178/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
411. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health when patients with HIV and hepatitis C can expect Sovaldi, sofosbuvir, to have a full pharmacoeconomic evaluation be finished by the National Centre for Pharmaeconomics. [20179/14]
View answerAs this is a service related matter, the HSE has been asked to examine the specific query raised by the Deputy and to reply to her as soon as possible.
412. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the respite beds available at a facility (detailed supplied); his plans to ensure greater capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20183/14]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
413. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of voluntary redundancies for administrators in the Health Service Executive south as part of the current voluntary redundancy programme; the number that have been availed of to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20185/14]
View answerAs this is an operational matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
414. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if he will furnish a reply to correspondence (details supplied) regarding surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20196/14]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my letter to him of 25th April in which I outlined that I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly on this matter, as it is a service issue. As the Deputy is aware, the Health Service Executive has fifteen working days in which to respond to such queries. I have also referred this Parliamentary Question to the Health Service Executive, which will respond to him directly on this matter.
415. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when a surgical procedure will be arranged in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20198/14]
View answerShould a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific hospital appointment query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
416. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the amount of funding allocated to each day centre in County Donegal over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20203/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
417. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health his plans to make funding available to day centres in County Donegal in order that they may carry out works to ensure full accessibility of wheelchair users to their premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20204/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
418. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the establishment of the scheme to replace the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance scheme; when the new scheme will be put in place; his views on whether it is acceptable that a new scheme has yet to be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20224/14]
View answerIn November 2013, the Government decided that the detailed preparatory work required for a new travel subsidy scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health, in consultation with other relevant Ministers. The Department of Health is working to progress this matter in line with the Government's decision. The Department will draw on the work, last year, of the Review Group on Transport Supports for People with Disabilities and the Inter-Departmental Group tasked by Government to consider details of a statutory replacement for the discontinued Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant Schemes.
