Written Answers Nos. 375 - 391
375. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health in view of the approval of additional diabetes services in the Health Service Executive National Service Plan 2015 for the University Hospital Limerick, when the recruitment process will commence for the consultant paediatrician post; when this service will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2227/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
376. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding transport to and from a day care centre (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2237/15]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
377. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason Alzheimer's disease is not covered under the long-term illness scheme. [2254/15]
View answerThe Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Under the provisions of the Health Acts, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the HSE, unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
378. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2257/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
379. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the progress of the fair deal nursing home scheme; and the proposed changes to the fair deal nursing home scheme. [2260/15]
View answerSince the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) commenced, in October 2009, 56,989 applications for funding under the Scheme have been received. In 2014, 22,061 people were funded under the NHSS.
The budget for the Scheme in 2015 is €948.8m which reflects an increase of €10m from the 2014 position. The increase of €10m is part of the initiative to tackle delayed discharges and has been provided for the provision of an additional 300 long stay care places under the NHSS.
The review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme which is currently in progress will include consideration of the balance between community and residential services as well as the future financing and sustainability of the Scheme. Work on this review is well advanced and it will be published in the coming months.
380. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 327 of 9 December 2014, his views that in providing therapeutic courses with a religious dimension, such as dialectical behaviour therapy, the Health Service Executive may be in breach of UN recommendations on secularism within national health services. [2269/15]
View answer382. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health in view of the fact that dialectical behaviour therapy is an effective therapy for persons struggling to cope with strong emotions, self harm and suicidal ideation, if the Health Service Executive is in breach of the rights of persons using this service who identify themselves as atheistic, considering that elements of DBT have religious and faith-based inferences; and his plans to address the situation. [2271/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 382 together.
I assume the Deputy is referring to principle 13(1)(d) of the UN Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care. If this case, I can assure the Deputy that the HSE is not in breach of this principle in its use of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
DBT is an evidence-based intervention specifically for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. It uses cognitive and behavioural practices focussed on mindfulness and does so in an entirely non-religious fashion. DBT is therefore a non-religious, secular therapy for people who struggle with distressing and difficult emotions and have a tendency to self-harm. It provides alternative, less harmful, positive tools and practices to cope with difficult situations and avoid them. While some tools and practices may contain echoes of religious and spiritual traditions, since most religious and spiritual traditions evolved to help people cope with difficult, traumatic times, DBT is scrupulously non-religious.
All therapies and programmes within the HSE offer individual choice and therapists adopt a non-judgemental stance and are trained comprehensively to be open to all view points. Every effort is made to provide an inclusive and safe environment to all service users, irrespective of religious beliefs.
381. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if chaplaincy services or other religious supports are paid for by the Health Service Executive; if so, the amount the HSE spends on these services each year; and if there is a similar non-religious support provided for atheists. [2270/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
383. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be facilitated with assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2272/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
384. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when fair deal funding will be allocated in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2274/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
385. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2276/15]
View answerThe scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should 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 case raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
386. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be facilitated with extra home help hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2278/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
387. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason the equipment that is used to do an endoscopy of the pancreas in the Mercy Hospital, County Cork, has not been functioning since December 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2288/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
388. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if hospital accommodation will be provided in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2291/15]
View answerAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to you. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
389. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be made in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2292/15]
View answerThe scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should 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 case raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
390. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if assistance will be provided in relation to a medical assistance vehicle in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2293/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
391. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the assistance available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2299/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
